Flight of the Libran
by Wes Imlay
Summary: A battlestar from the First Cylon War is brought back into service for the purpose of eliminating the remains of a pirate group, a task that may keep it from falling victim to the Cylons when they attack the Twelve Colonies.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening the Giant

_**Flight of the Libran**_

_**Written by: Wes Imlay**_

_**Chapter One: Awakening the Giant**_

_**Three Years before the Fall:**_

_**Queenstown, Picon:**_

Colonel Nicholas Theron Tattnall exited the elevator on the sixth floor of the main building of the Colonial Fleet Bureau of Ships. The thirty-eight year old officer had received a message the previous day ordering him to report to the office of Rear Admiral Scott Tolan at 0845 promptly. The time was now 0838, and his mind still carried the curiosity that he had dealt with since he had received the official notice. He had expected to be back on his battlestar, the _Formidable_, but when he arrived for the anticipated deployment he received the message from Commander Kelly Gyatt informing him of his appointment on Picon.

Walking through the corridors of the building he found himself immersed in dark wooden paneled walls that gave the building a much older feel to it inside than it appeared on the outside. Given that the building dealt with modern spacefaring fortresses it was a surprise to many who visited the location to find extravagant pieces of artwork depicting ancient sailing ships. This was by the wishes of Tolan who wanted to remind everyone that while the technology has moved on the one basic component of any vessel remained the same; the crew.

Tattnall turned a corner and saw a set of wooden doors, the lettering of each came together to read "Director of the Colonial Fleet Bureau of Ships". He pulled open the door and walked into a reception area.

"Colonel Nicholas Tattnall, I have an appointment with Admiral Tolan.

The receptionist, Tattnall noted that her nameplate said 'Miranda Sterne', picked up the phone and had a brief conversation letting the admiral know his appointment had arrived.

He took a seat and waited to be told he could enter the admiral's office. He picked up a copy of the Colonial Entertainment News and thumbed through the contents to see if there was an article that caught his eye. In this case it was a story of the movie 'Noble Causes', a Neveah Ratliff movie that had been filmed so far on the battlestars Athena and _Cerberus_.

"Colonel Tattnall, Admiral Tolan will see you now," the secretary said after five minutes.

Tattnall gave his thanks before putting down the magazine, gathering up his things and stepping into the office of Rear Admiral Scott Tolan.

He walked up to the desk Tolan was seated at, stood at attention and saluted, "Colonel Nicholas Theron Tattnall reporting as ordered, sir!"

Tolan stood and returned the salute, "At ease Colonel, you may have a seat."

Tattnall had encountered a few admirals before, but there was something to Tolan that he would not have associated with a flag officer. He had a more youthful complexion than most Admirals in the fleet. At first glance he didn't seem as stuck up as others as well. Tattnall noted quite quickly that had it not been for his pips he would have assumed that the man before him was just another of the grunts down in the trenches. And yet it seemed there was more him than a seemingly laid-back style; it was as if the man was capable of playing his cards close to the vest so it was practically impossible to get a read on him.

Standing before the Admiral he took time to check out the papers and folders that lay on the admiral's desk. There were folders with the names of various battlestars printed on them. There was also a folder with 'Lt. Colonel Archibald Bowman (Ret'd)' stamped on the front of it. A part of Tattnall's mind was curious as to who this man was and why there was a file on the serving Admiral's desk but thought better to indulge in his curiosity.

"I'm glad to see you were able to make it here early Colonel, I thank you for that," Tolan said as he shuffled some of the papers that were lying on his desk.

"You're welcome sir, if I may ask though why was I summoned here? The Formidable deploys tomorrow and I have a very busy schedule ahead of me over the next twenty seven hours."

"Ah yes," Tolan said in a manner that gave Tattnall the impression he sympathized with him, "Colonel that will not be happening. Colonel Lynn Woodward has been assigned to replace you as _Formidable's_ Executive Officer."

"Admiral, if I'm in trouble for something, I fear I have no idea why. As far as I'm aware my service record is spotless, I don't believe I've once given Commander Gyatt a reason to replace me," Tattnall said, fearing his career was in trouble over some infraction he had no idea of having even taken place.

Tolan laughed, "You're not reading the situation correctly Colonel, there is a reason why you're here."

"Very well then, why am I here, sir?" Tattnall wanted to explode with exasperation but knew better than to lose his temper in front of a flag officer; there was a reason why his career had been so spotless.

"Part of my job here is to oversee various aspects involving the ships of the Colonial Fleet. Admiral Corman sent word to me yesterday to prepare the battlestar _Libran _for reactivation. She's been sitting in the Wilkins Shipyard on Active Reserve. The Colonial Fleet has decided that now is the time to bring her back into service."

"Right and my part in all this is?"

"This is a letter that was delivered to me to give to you, I believe it will clear everything up for you," Tolan produced a letter and handed it to Tattnall.

_**Colonel Nicholas Theron Tattnall, **_

_**By order of the President of the Twelve Colonies you are hereby directed to report with all due speed on board the battlestar Libran, lying at Scorpia. It is required that no time be lost in carrying the ship into space, taking on board her ammunition, water, provisions, and stores of every kind while completing what work is yet to be done before taking about her complement of crew and Marines. It is the President's express orders, that you employ the most vigorous exertions in order to accomplish these several objectives and bring the now decommissioned battlestar Libran back into service for the Colonial Fleet. **_

_**Richard Adar**_

_**President of the Twelve Colonies**_

"Colonel Tattnall you are hereby promoted to the rank of Commander. You are to report to Wilkins Shipyard and oversee the reactivation of the battlestar _Libran_. Your transport, the _O'Bannon_, will leave from the Queenstown Spaceport tomorrow at 1100 hours. When you arrive you will report to the accommodation ship _Ausburne _until the _Libran_ is habitable. You will be given the chance to choose the majority of your senior staff while this is taking place," Tolan opened up a drawer and pulled out a jeweler's box, "Congratulations Commander Tattnall on your promotion and new command."

Tattnall took the box and shook Tolan's outreached hand, "Thank you Admiral, this is an honor. I promise the Libran will be considered one of the finest ships in the fleet."

Tolan smiled, "I have no doubt about that one, congratulations Commander Tattnall and I wish you and your crew nothing but the best," Tolan then reached down and pulled out a large brown folder sealed around the front with a plastic strap, Stamped in red across the front was the word 'DECLASSIFIED'. "This is all the information we have on the service history of the _Libran_, read up on it so you'll have a better understanding of your ship."

Tattnall thanked him again before saluting the admiral and leaving the office. He could not get his mind clear after his meeting with Admiral Scott Tolan. He was a Commander now, he had his own ship, and it was all hitting him at once. The walk to the elevator he had just recently used provided his mind with time to process what all had taken place. Instead of confusion he now felt a sense of euphoria; this was something every career officer dreamed of. He had climbed the highest mountain and earned a command in a peace time fleet, and the fact that it was a battlestar made it all the more sweet.

**Scorpia:**

**Wilkins Shipyard:**

Tattnall looked out the window of the transport shuttle as it maneuvered through the various hulks of the decommissioned battlestars of the Active Reserve stored at the Wilkins Shipyard. The ships at this yard were the ones the Colonial Fleet intended to keep in case they were needed for some unforeseen conflict. Greater care had been taken with them during the decommissioning process, so that they could be reactivated easily. This was the opposite from the Inactive Reserve located at the Hargrove Shipyard, the ships there were stored with no maintenance until the day came when they were either sent to the scrap yard or destroyed in a live-fire exercise; a sad end indeed for these once proud and mighty vessels.

He opened up the heavy brown folder that Tolan had given him back on Picon. Inside was the service history of the _Libran_. The ship dated back to the Cylon War, It was one of six dreadnaught warstars that composed the _Virgon_-class. Due to the need for more battlestars to fight the Cylons, the _Libran _and the _Gemenon _were taken into the Pollack-Stockton Shipyard for their conversion to a new role as battlestars and forming the _Gemenon_ class. Both ships would be a part of the Colonial Fleet beyond the war with the Cylons. Eventually, as more of the _Mercury_-class battlestars came into service, the two _Gemenons _were decommissioned and sent to the Active Reserve Fleet. _Gemenon_ had been there for eight years while the _Libran _had been there for seven years. There had been rumors that the ships would be sent to Inactive Reserve, and while that may still be true for the _Gemenon_ it would be so for the _Libran_.

The pilot said nothing to Tattnall, which he was fine with him in all honesty. His mind was already bristling with a thousand thoughts over his new posting and he did not need the ramblings of some Colonial Fleet taxi driver to distort them for him. He searched through the sea of battlestars and other assorted relics of a war long over to see which of the docks the _Libran_ was located at. He looked up from his notes and recognized it. The battlestar was in one of the main docks the shipyard used, with a smaller vessel tethered to it by an umbilical. The pilot announced they would be on approach momentarily and would dock with the _Ausburne_.

Tattnall stood up from his seat and stretched his legs before picking up the envelope and other assorted documents he had brought with him. He felt the shuttle slowing down before it came to a complete stop. A moment later came a hissing sound from the outer hull as it finished its docking with the accommodation ship _Ausburne_.

"Welcome to the _Ausburne_, sir. I'll grab your belongings and take them to your quarters," the pilot, a civilian by the way the young man looked, said as he motioned for Tattnall to make his way to the other ship.

Tattnall crossed over to the_ Ausburne_ and was met by a middle-aged woman wearing a Colonial Fleet officer's uniform. He looked at the pips on her collar and saw that she held the rank of Colonel.

"Colonel Susan Minerva," she declared whilst saluting her new Commanding Officer. As he returned the compliment he realized that this was probably the first time he had received such a gesture from a subordinate as a Commander. It felt a little awkward while at the same time it gave him a sense of being fifty feet tall. "I've been assigned to the _Libran _as your Executive Officer."

After having returned the salute Tattnall motioned for her to follow him, "Tell me, Colonel, how long have you been here?"

"I arrived here about an hour and a half ago, give or take, once I got notice that I had been assigned to the _Libran_ I left the _Atherstone_. Admiral Tolan recommended me for the assignment," Minerva said as they rounded a corner and proceeded down the corridor.

"How do you know Admiral Tolan?" Tattnall asked, wondering where his new XO had met the man he himself had only just recently met.

"I was his CAG onboard the _Vanguard _four years ago, after my first year onboard he was moved to an assignment on Caprica until his promotion to the Admiralty. He's one of the more...'interesting' people I've served under but he does care about his crew," Minerva said as the two began to descend steps that would take them to the deck below.

"What do you think of our girl?" Tattnall asked in reference to the Libran.

"It's a good thing the Fleet put her and the _Gemenon_ through the SLEP program like the rest of the _Columbias_," Minerva replied.

The Service Life Extension Program, abbreviated as SLEP, was an attempt by the Colonial Fleet to get further service out of its aging vessels. Leftover battlestars from the Cylon War and the immediate post-war era were taken out of service for a period of two to three years and given a thorough modernization to bring them up to the materiel standard of the newer ships. Some, such as _Galactica_, were instead given an austere overhaul instead of a SLEP due to budget cuts that were put in place by the Adar Administration who were trying to desperately make up for the deficit in the Colonial budget, a result of their own clumsy handling of it over the past five years. Transferring money away from the fleet to other things was a politically acceptable and time honored practice especially since there had been no sign of the Cylons for almost forty years now. They had passed almost into a mythological state of being in the minds of the ordinary civilian and the Colonial Fleet was seen as little more than a roaming security force fighting the age old problems of crime, piracy and of course terrorism.

They descended another level before they turned down a corridor where an airlock was in view. Standing before it waiting for them was a man in the uniform of a Chief Petty Officer.

"That is Chief Stavros Navarino; he's been assigned as our Senior Chief. He's been here for the past month overseeing the reactivation of the _Libran_ along with our Chief Engineer, Louis Sayre," Minerva said as the duo began to close in on Navarino.

"Commander Tattnall welcome to the _Libran_, sir," Navarino said as he saluted the Libran's CO.

"Thank you Chief, how's our girl?" Tattnall asked after returning the Chief's salute.

"We were lucky; the last crew did a thorough job of preserving her. According to Admiral Tolan the _Gemenon_ wasn't so fortunate, that's part of why the _Libran_ is being brought back into service and her sister is not," Navarino said.

"It's a shame, but not much we can do about that. If they need her badly enough the _Gemenon _will be commissioned again. Where's our chief engineer?" Tattnall asked even though he had a good feeling as to where he might have been; chief engineers aboard space faring vessels were notoriously stereotypical of their breed.

"He's inside Main Engineering attempting to get the power back on; right now it's fairly dark in there only vital areas have auxiliary power so we'll need flashlights to navigate our way around some parts of the ship. If you would please follow me," Navarino said as he hit a button on the wall that caused the airlock to open up. A moment later they were stepping onto the hangar deck of the Libran.

When the airlock into the Libran opened Tattnall was overwhelmed by the stench of oil, steel, tylium fuel, and stale air. He kept the shock from the smell to himself and stepped into one of the aft storage bays for the hangar deck. After Navarino and Minerva stepped in, the Chief hit the button that would close the airlock.

"Follow me," Navarino said as he hit a button that would open the sliding metal doors leading into the storage bay.

The three stepped into a dimly lit corridor that looked like it could use some cleaning to get it back up to Colonial Fleet standards. There was barely any conversation as the two officers followed the Chief down the corridor until they stepped into the cavernous hangar deck. The three of them had only known each other for a few minutes and they were still testing the waters with one another. It was at times like these that Tattnall was grateful of the formality of life aboard ship.

"It's so…empty," Minerva said as she took in the sight of the cavernous expanse of empty hangar space.

"I've never been on a battlestar where there weren't Vipers or Raptors on hand this is something different," Tattnall said. From his first posting on the _Tulare_ to his time as XO of the_ Formidable _he had never once been on a battlestar that was not in commission. Seeing the _Libran's_ hangar deck caused him to take a step back and picture how it would look once the battlestar actually had an air group once again. The _Gemenon_ and the _Libran_ were able to accommodate an air wing of six Viper squadrons and two Raptor squadrons, this number stayed the same throughout their careers thanks to the efforts put into the SLEP the two battlestars had received.

"It'll look different once we have our birds onboard," Navarino said. He could tell by the look on the Commander's face that the sight of an empty hangar deck was a foreign concept to him as well.

Tattnall did not say a word for a few moments before simply nodding his head, "You're right Chief, when we have the air group onboard this deck will be a different sight. It'll be a Battlestar again," he said with a feeling of pride."

"Chief Sayre won't have the power up and running for a while, may I recommend we retire to the _Ausburne_ and get situated?" Minerva suggested. There was little they could do at the moment and they might as well get settled in on the accommodation ship.

Again little was said as they made their way back through the airlock and back onto the _Aubsurne_, the former Army troop transport that was now serving as the accommodation ship for the small group that would see the _Libran_ brought back to life. Judging by the look of the battlestar, it would require work to get her back to being able to serve in the Fleet but it was not as daunting as task as awakening some of the older battlestars from their slumber in the Active Reserve.

The airlock opened and the three stepped back onto the deck of the _Ausburne_, they stopped and saw that there were seven new arrivals onboard.

"Commander Tattnall, I presume?" the man who stepped out from the group asked as he walked towards them.

Tattnall stepped forward and extended his hand, "Commander Nicholas Tattnall and you are?"

The man gripped Tattnall's hand in a firm handshake, "Major Evan Windsor, Ministry of Intelligence."

"What is the MoI doing here?" Minerva asked with what Tattnall thought was an undue bit of apprehension. Perhaps she had dealings with them in the past that he was unaware of?

"Perhaps there a conference room would be a more appropriate setting for this talk," Windsor said as he motioned to one of the corridors.

"Very well, lead on," Tattnall said as he waited until the seven MoI officers began walking down the corridor towards one the _Ausburne's _briefing rooms.

"Chief, Colonel if the two of you would follow me. We'll see just what our new friends here have in store for us," Tattnall said as they began to follow the group.

The large briefing room had a conference table, cabinets that would have normally held important documents pertaining to a deployment, a large video screen on a far wall, and other assorted items a general or other ranking officer would use to conduct a briefing.

Windsor stood before the group and hit a button on the podium he stood at, a whirring sound emanated from an overhead video projector and the screen began to come to life. Tattnall may have only just taken command of the _Libran_ but the way Windsor strutted around the ship as if he were its Commander irritated him somewhat. Nevertheless he bit his tongue and let Windsor carry on for the time being.

"As I told you earlier, my name is Evan Windsor. With me is Captain Whitney Thompson," Windsor pointed to a tall blonde who sat on the right side of the table, "Captain Leonard Harmon," Windsor pointed to a middle-aged looking man with dark skin and a black mustache, "Lieutenant Imani Farai," Windsor pointed to a young woman who was of the same dark complexion as Harmon, "Lieutenant Brooke Carlson," Windsor pointed to a young brunette who looked as though she had just graduated from college, "Agent Nessa Gendreau," Windsor again pointed to a young woman with raven hair and a serious expression on her face, "Finally, we have Agent Victor Ashfield," Windsor pointed to the last person in his group, a bespectacled young man who looked more like a lawyer than an MoI agent.

"I'd introduce us but I get the feeling you know who we are," Tattnall said with a laugh.

"Stereotyping Commander, but in this case very correct stereotyping; with you are Colonel Susan Minerva and Senior Chief Stavros Navarino. Along with Chief Engineer Louis Sayre you are the only members of the senior staff to be assigned to the _Libran _thus far," Windsor said with smile.

"Is there anything you people don't know?" Minerva asked which in turn earned her a warning glance from Tattnall.

"Allow me to get down to business, have you heard of the pirate group known as the Erebea?"

"According to President Adar there are no pirate groups, right?" Minerva asked before Tattnall could speak.

"Forgive my XO, yes we have heard of them," Tattnall said, when this was over he was going to have to find out just what it was about the MoI that got under Minerva's skin in such a manner.

"There was an operation three years ago, one I believe Colonel Minerva was a part of before medical issues befell her. The Erebea is a splinter group of the old Tauron Military. They opposed the Articles of Colonization and formed their own paramilitary group rather than fight for the Colonies. In time they turned to piracy to strike back at the society they wished to have no part of. Six years ago the Erebea had allied with the Sagittaron Liberation Army. It was their forces, under the command of Admiral Pierre Renoir that kidnapped President Adar's sister and niece. To make a long story short, when the Colonial Fleet attacked the SLA base parts of the Erebea escaped the attack. Among them was Admiral Renoir. The _Libran_ is being brought back into commission to wipe out these remnants Renoir's forces," Windsor said. Throughout his talk various images had flashed on the screen, the last one was that of Admiral Pierre Renoir.

"So we're essentially tasked with hunting down Renoir and capturing him?" Tattnall asked.

"Yes and no, we're hunting down Renoir but we're not capturing him. The MoI has been tasked to ensure that he is eliminated permanently," Windsor said with a casual tone that made it seem as though killing a man was no big deal.

"One battlestar against an entire pirate force, shouldn't we have backup in case the Erebea are more heavily armed?" Minerva asked, having to have seemingly put her issues aside.

"On the advice of Admiral Tolan, who has first-hand experience with fighting the SLA in space, there are two groups of Faststars being brought back into commission to accompany the _Libran_," Windsor said as he hit a button that brought up a list of ship names.

"What classes are these faststars from?" Tattnall asked.

"They are all _Clemson_-class faststars. Twelve of them are at the Valkenburgh Shipyard undergoing reactivation and are being modernized to meet the current Colonial Fleet standards," Windsor said.

"You're telling me these ships have not seen action since the Cylon War?" Tattnall asked, wondering just why these were chosen.

"They were considered…expendable, it was either this or they'd be sold for scrap. The _Libran_ will be accompanied by the _Warrington_, _Rathburne_, _Robert Smith_, _Clemson_, _Gerhardt_, _Aspis_, _Asturias_, _Velos_, _Kanaris_, _Cassin_, _Ariadni_, and _Psara_. These will be divided into two groups; Faststar Group 248 and 249. Colonels Arleen Baines and Geoffrey Mandeville will have command of these two groups, but they will take from you Commander Tattnall."

"That's an awful lot of faststars to protect just one battlestar," Tattnall commented, twelve faststars just seemed to be overkill in his imagination.

"Depending on how well Renoir has regrouped after the attack on the SLA base, there is a chance that a second battlestar will be needed. The two that have been mention is either the Libran's sister ship, the _Gemenon_, or transferring the _Mercury_-class _Achilles_ to take part in this mission. In fact, the reactivation of the _Libran_ will give some idea as to how well the _Gemenon_ can be reactivated even though the last crew did not such a thorough job of decommissioning her," Windsor said.

"Will all seven of you be on the Libran?" Tattnall asked.

"Two of us, me and Lieutenant Carlson will be stationed on the _Libran_. The rest will disperse among the various faststars, but all intelligence will be sent to the _Libran_ of course which will act as a de facto flagship for this flotilla," Windsor said.

"Of course," Tattnall said before standing up from the table, "Thank you for the briefing Major Windsor it was quite informative. If you'll excuse us now we'll get settled in here on the _Ausburne_."

"Thank you for your time Commander, I look forward to working with you in the near future."

When they had left the room Tattnall motioned for Minerva to follow him. Arriving at his quarters he let her in first before closing the hatch behind him.

"Colonel Minerva, what the hell just happened back there?" he demanded as soon as she had taken a seat.

"I lost my senses back there Commander; there is a history with the MoI as I'm sure you can guess."

"I kind of picked up on that one, but it does not excuse your unprofessional behavior. Now we have to work with them whether we like or not. If you cannot put your personal feeling aside, I will be happy to allow you to find a position on another ship and bring in someone who can, am I making myself clear?"

Minerva nodded, "Yes sir, I understand."

"It's going to be a challenge, I won't lie to you about that, but we'll work together and make this possible. Let's have a drink and we'll get started on bring our ship back to life," Tattnall said as he took two tumblers out of a nearby cabinet and filled them with water from a nearby tap.

_**Eight Months Later:**_

_**Wilkins Shipyard, Scorpia:**_

The day had finally arrived and it was time to commission the _Libran_ back into the Colonial Fleet once again. The assembled crew of 5,731 had mustered into the large space dock that had been closed and pressurized so that they could board the battlestar when given the order. The man giving that order would be Governor Mitchell Bradford, the governor of the battlestar's namesake colony of Libran.

Bradford gave a speech that dealt with the importance of Libran in the society of the Twelve Colonies, and how the battlestar would keep the commitment to justice that the colony was known for. When he had finished it was time for Admiral Robert Lee Wilson to give his speech.

"Governor Bradford, we are extremely honored with your presence here today. On behalf of the crew of the crew of the Battlestar _Libran_, I want to thank you very much for joining us today!" Wilson began as he looked over the notes he had prepared for this particular speech.

"This day has really been made possible by this 5,731 who are the lifeblood of this great warship. Without the crew, this ship, or any ship for that matter is simply a combination steel plates, miles of cables and wiring, tanks, ladders, and lots of paint. The crew gives the ship its own personality and war-fighting spirit. The men and women of the Battlestar _Libran_ will exemplify patriotism and what this great country of ours stands for. We take an oath "To support and defend The Articles of Colonization of the Twelve Colonies against all enemies."

"Ladies and gentlemen, before you stand the officers, chief petty officers and sailors of the Colonial Fleet that will form the crew of this fine ship. They are the best our worlds have to offer. They will be held to and uphold a higher standard by virtue of the fact they willingly serve to protect the people of the Twelve Colonies."

"I am certain that Commander Tattnall is both proud and honored to be the Commanding Officer of these fine examples of the people of the Twelve Colonies. May the Gods bless and guide this warship and all who serve as her crew and may the Gods continue to bless the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. So say we all!"

It was at this time that Commander Tattnall walked up to Admiral Wilson and saluted before saying, "Admiral Wilson, we are ready to proceed with the commissioning."

"Very well, in accordance with this authority, I hereby place the Battlestar _Libran_ in commission." Wilson said formally as he finished reading the orders from President Adar to place the _Libran_ into commission.

At this time the anthem of the Twelve Colonies began to play, when it was over the time had arrived for the next part of the commissioning ceremony.

"Colonel Minerva, set the first watch," Tattnall ordered.

"Aye, Aye, sir ," Minerva announced with a salute before turning to Lt. James Grebory, the Helm Officer, "Helm, set the watch."

Grebory walked over to where a receiver had been set up with a connection to the CIC. He picked up the receiver and announced, ""Set the watch! On deck section one, watch one!"

Minerva walked over to where Tattnall stood and announced, "Commander, the watch has been set."

Bradford then walked up to the podium and said, "Man our ship and bring her to life."

With this the Colonial Fleet anthem began to play as the crew began to enter the _Libran_ through the airlocks located on the port side. This took time as the crew boarded and went to their watch stations.

Once the anthem had finished, Governor Bradford once again came to the podium and presented a gift on behalf of the people of Libran. This gift was a solid gold replica of the 'Scales of Justice' that stayed in the courtroom of the Colonial Supreme Court located in the city of Themis.

With Tattnall's acceptance of this gift it was time for the benediction to be given asking for the Gods' guidance for both the ship and its crew. That marked the conclusion of the commissioning ceremony.

As the guests dispersed, Tattnall walked over to where Minerva stood.

"That went well Commander," Minerva said with a smile that suggested how happy she was to have the ceremony over with.

"Indeed it did Colonel. There's only one thing left to do now," Tattnall said as they entered the airlock to make their way to the CIC.

"What would that be?"

Tattnall smiled, "We get our air group onboard and start hunting the Erebea."


	2. Chapter 2: A Time for Every Purpose

**Chapter Two: A Time for Every Purpose**

**One Week Later:**

**Battlestar Libran, CIC:**

"Commander, the air group has landed onboard," Colonel Susan Minerva announced as the Hangar Deck relayed to her over the intercom that the last of the Vipers and Raptors had boarded the _Libran_.

"Very well XO, send word to have the CAG meet me in my quarters. Till I return you have the conn," Commander Nicholas Tattnall said as he left the CIC to return to his quarters to meet with the person who had been selected to lead the _Libran's_ air group.

**Battlestar Libran, Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

Tattnall was sitting at his desk inside his quarters when the wheel on the hatch spun and clunked open, allowing the person to enter. The visitor marched in smartly and with an outstretched chest he announced himself.

"Major Alexander Mason, reporting for duty," the man said as he stood at attention and saluted. Tattnall returned the salute and stood up to offer Mason a handshake, "Glad to have you onboard CAG, what do you think of the old girl?"

"In all honesty sir, I feel like I stepped onto a museum or a movie set. However, it seems the shipyard did a top job of getting her back into fighting trim," Mason said.

"I have to agree with you, in time she'll show us what she's made of when we find the Erebea," Tattnall said as he opened up a folder, "I'm curious Major about how you got your call sign?"

"When I was young and playing high school pyramid on Virgon, I would lower my head into the stomach of the tackler. After this one game of my senior year, one of the opponents said it hurt so much that my head must be made of iron. From that moment on I was nicknamed 'Ironhead' and it stuck with me," Mason said as he tried to stifle a laugh from seeing the amused look on Tattnall's face.

The phone buzzed and Tattnall picked it up and after a moment he set the receiver down and dismissed Mason. A few moments later Ministry of Intelligence Major Evan Windsor entered the room. The youthful looking Ministry of Intelligence officer had a decidedly young look to him, and the way he bounded into the room seemed to imply that he was in a decidedly good mood. Either that or he had found his way into the Officers' Mess instead of the Enlisted Mess and got a hold of the better quality food being served to the officers.

"Commander Tattnall, I trust you and your people are settling in nicely onboard," Windsor said with an affable smile.

"That we are Major, how about your people?" Tattnall said as civilly as he could.

"I'm fine personally; the ones assigned to the faststars are taking some time to get used to the close confines of the ships. Myself and Carlson have made use of the facilities you were kind of enough to appropriate for us, I assure you that you have gone above and beyond the call of duty for us," Windsor said.

"Alright Major; what is it that you want or are about to tell me?" Tattnall said.

"What could you possibly mean Commander?"

"I understand the niceties that come along with this job, and we have to work together for the foreseeable future. However, you are being a little extreme in your praise. With that in mind, thank you for the kind words but could you please get to the point," Tattnall said, not trying to be harsh but wanting to get this over with since there was still work to be done on the Libran and he needed to know the materiel state of his ship.

"Of course, our first stop is going to be at Caprica. There is a prisoner being kept at Fort Milledge by the name of Thomas Carr. He was captured by the Colonial Fleet three years ago, and it's believed that he knows the location of a nearby Erebea base," Windsor said as he produced a piece of paper with a photo and various pieces of information on it pertaining to the criminal.

"Where was he captured at?" Tattnall asked.

"There was a base in the Erebus Belt that was used as a headquarters for the Sagittaron Liberation Army, and they were allied with the Erebea. A taskforce comprised of the Tenth and Fifteenth Fleets assaulted the base before sending a boarding party of Marines to round up any who might have survived. Mr. Carr was found in Shuttle Bay Five onboard a transport shuttle called the_ Jabin_; it seemed he was trying to start the shuttle and leave the base but the engines were not working. He was captured and imprisoned at Fort Milledge until he was deemed ready to be put on trial," Windsor said as he paced the room looking as though he was regretting giving out this information.

"You're telling me that he's been in a prison for two years without having had a trial?" Tattnall said as he processed the information he had just been given.

"Don't be so dramatic Commander; he will be given a trial once we decide that he's ready for it. In the meantime he gets to cool his heels…" Windsor chuckled before saying, "Cooling, that's actually find of funny."

"I'm not following," Tattnall said.

"Fort Milledge is in the Northern Hemisphere of Caprica and it's notorious for its biting cold all year long and," Windsor saw that Tattnall was not laughing, "Oh well; I guess you'd have had to have been there to appreciate the humor."

"Why do we need him?" Tattnall asked.

Windsor seemed to hesitate slightly before he said, "There is a project going on that we have kept from you."

"I'm listening," Tattnall said as he waited to hear what was going on.

"The _Libran_ is only a part of our larger mission against the Erebea. There is a role for the _Gemenon _as well," Windsor said.

Tattnall arched an eyebrow, "I was told the _Gemenon _wasn't given a proper decommissioning and couldn't be brought back into service. Why do you need it?"

"The plan is for the _Libran_ to attack the smaller Erebea bases in order to convince them that they need to purchase a battlestar along with Vipers and Raptors. We've scoured the salvage yards for those but we need a battlestar to use and the _Gemenon_ fit our needs perfectly. Let's be honest, that ship is going to the scrap yard more than likely so why not use it for this one important mission?" Windsor asked Tattnall as though it was a leap in logic anyone could make.

"Right," Tattnall said before asking,"so what will be done with Mr. Carr once you've learned his information and he has helped us?"

"Don't go getting troubled over that," Windsor replied.

"Forgive me, but I believe I will," Tattnall said firmly.

"Anything that happens on my ship I will make a point to get troubled with."

"Let's just say we're going to skip the whole trial bit and save the Colonies some money by taking matters into our own hands," Windsor finally admitted.

"Not on my ship you're not," Tattnall replied harshly.

"This is not Colonial Fleet business, don't get concerned with it," Windsor said as he realized the idea was not going over well.

"That may be, but the _Libran _is still my ship and I'll be damned if I'm going to let some hit squad execute a man without a trial!"

"If you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it. Thomas Carr was caught working for a group that has a history of being hostile to our government, the same government I would like to mention you swore an oath to protect."

"I also swore an oath to protect and uphold the Articles of Colonization and to that end every man deserves a fair trial. We'll leave him in the brig, even if you think he's useless we'll keep him in custody until the Erebea has been wiped out."

Windsor folded his arms, "That's it then, we'll just keep him under arrest for a longer period of time?"

"Sure, I have no problems with that. He could be an asset in the future."

Windsor turned to leave, "Very well Commander, we'll work out arrangements for him to be housed in the brig but when you get bored of fattening him up on your ship's food, you just give me a call."

"One more thing Major, don't you dare try to remind me of the oath I took. Understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," Windsor said as he left the room not looking happy even though technically he had gotten the last word in.

"Frakking bureaucrats," Tattnall said as he took a seat to go over some of the paperwork that had accumulated in the past week since the commissioning ceremony.

_Libran_ was an old ship, but the fact that she was decommissioned in an excellent state of preservation helped to make the process of reactivating her much easier…Tattnall chuckled as he thought of how those who travelled the stars referred to their ships as 'she' much like their counterparts who sailed the oceans of their respective colonies.

Tattnall jotted down some notes of some items he felt the need to run by Colonel Minerva and the rest of the senior staff, and then he activated the computer on his desk in order to search for information on Fort Milledge.

He read the reports on the Isle of Brenna, where the fort was located, and the reports of year long cold weather seemed to have the element of an understatement. The freezing temperatures and distance from the nearest land mass ensured that the prison was for all intents and purposes escape proof. The only way out seemed to be by air due to the rough nature of the Issus Ocean making an escape by sea all but impossible. He had the security clearance to check out the defenses of the prison and it was as well-guarded as any of the military installation throughout the Twelve Colonies. Once a person was there they were only going to leave when they died or when the government decided they could be released.

The yeoman entered the room and informed him that there was an officer who wished to have a word with him. Tattnall nodded and the yeoman left to give the visitor permission to enter. A tall man in a Marine officer uniform entered the room accompanied by another man wearing an enlisted Marine uniform.

"Commander Tattnall, I'm Major Daniel Fletcher Smith and with me is Staff Sergeant Bernard Max Strean. I've been assigned to head the Marine Battalion assigned to the _Libran_," Smith said as he stood at attention.

"At ease Major, and you as well Staff Sergeant. It's a surprise to have you two onboard, I thought I had been assigned Lieutenant Frank Berrien and Sergeant Julia Emrich to head the Marine Battalion," Tattnall said as he thumbed through a report he had been sent back when the _Libran _was reactivated.

"That's true sir, but Strean and I asked for this assignment when he heard about it," Smith explained.

Tattnall arched an eyebrow, "Alright so how did you hear about our assignment. That's something not many know about or are supposed to know about."

"Well Commander, we were there with Major Aperlae when she led the rescue mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece. Knowing that you're going after the bastards who actually abducted them, it'll be nice to take them out and make sure they can't hurt another innocent person," Smith said while Strean nodded his agreement with the Major.

Ensign George Richmond, Tattnall's yeoman, came into the room after the two Marines had been dismissed.

"Mr. Richmond that will be all the time I have for visitors for the time being, unless it's an emergency I don't want to be disturbed," Tattnall said and once Casey had acknowledged the order and left he went back over some of the plans that had been scheduled for the next few days.

There was quite a bit of work to do, _Libran_ still was not up to one hundred percent yet and there was still some of the reactivation work that needed to be finished. The battlestar could launch and recover the air wing, do an FTL jump when needed, and all basic systems were online but there was still more work to be done. In the quest to eradicate the Erebea the ship would be updated and modernized 'as needed' so that the time in the shipyards could be used on the newer vessels in the Colonial Fleet.

He picked up the receiver and dialed the CIC; he asked the on-duty Communications Officer to get him Colonel Minerva.

"Minerva," the voice of his executive officer came over the line.

"Colonel I want you to come meet me in my quarters right way," Tattnall said.

"Right, I'll be there ASAP."

It was not long until the hatch opened and Minerva stepped into the room, "Commander, what can I do for you?"

"I need a favor," Tattnall began before adding, "There is a Raptor that is scheduled to leave here to head to Fort Milledge to pick up a prisoner for the MoI agents to interrogate onboard our ship. I want you to accompany them."

"Me?" Minerva asked.

"Yes, I need someone to keep an eye on Windsor just in case he tries something. If he tortures the prisoner I don't want something leaked and have it come back on this ship or any of us. Better to observe and make him hesitate about using extreme measures," Tattnall said.

Minerva was silent before she finally nodded her head, "Agreed, I'll make my way to the hangar."

**CIC:**

After the meeting with Colonel Minerva the _Libran _made the jump to Caprica. Now was the time to wait while one of the Raptors was dispatch to Fort Milledge.

"Commander, Caprica Station has provided us with a berth to dock at while Major Windsor retrieves his package," Lieutenant Lancelot Freyberg announced.

"Very well Mr. Freyburg, take us in and inform Major Windsor that I'll have a Raptor ready to take him to Fort Milledge," Tattnall said as he went over the list of available Raptor pilots. According to the read out it was Lieutenant John Bruin who had the next flight out, and that was the soul Tattnall decided should take a trip to the frozen island where Fort Milledge was located. He picked up the receiver and pressed the number sequence to connect him to the Raptor Squadron One's ready room.

"Captain Slade," the voice on the other end of the phone announced. Captain Peter Slade was the officer in charge of Raptor Squadron One.

"Captain Slade, this is Commander Tattnall, I saw that Lt. Bruin is the next Raptor pilot due to launch from here. Is that correct?"

"That is correct sir, him and his ECO are suiting up to head to the hangar deck," Slade said.

Tattnall glanced down at the list and saw that Bruin's ECO was Ensign James Paulding; he would not be needed for this particular operation.

"Captain, have Bruin report to his Raptor but Ensign Spence will not be needed for this flight. I need Lieutenant Bruin to escort our MoI guests and Colonel Minerva to Fort Milledge to pick up a package that needs to be brought up here to the Libran. Major Windsor will meet him at his Raptor on the hangar deck."

**Hangar Deck:**

Lieutenant John 'Tornado' Bruin stood next to his Raptor and waited as patiently as he could. If he allowed himself a moment of honesty it was the fact that he was escorting an officer from the Ministry of Intelligence. The problem was not the officer himself, but it was the organization he represented. The Ministry of Intelligence was so shrouded in secrecy that at times it was hard to tell was what true and what was lifted from a movie.

Another part that bothered him was their destination. He was a native of Caprica, having grown up in Delphi, and he had heard stories of Fort Milledge. He remembered a friend telling him that a person cannot last more than five minutes outside in the elements of the bitter cold that seemed to engulf the island. Now he had been removed from a simple training run and put on mule work to a desolate location with a person he could not even trust to have around and feel comfortable.

The alarm for an incoming craft began to sound, the high-pitched wail announcing that a Viper or Raptor had just landed and was about to be brought into the hangar bay. Bruin saw one of the knuckle-draggers running by and he got her attention, "Who's the new arrival?"

"We have a Raptor returning from the _Robert Smith_ with a MoI agent," the woman said before she took off for wherever her destination was.

"Probably here for the trip," Bruin mumbled to himself as he rested his back against the Raptor and waited patiently.

"Lieutenant Bruin, everything ready to go?" Colonel Susan Minerva asked as she walked up to the Raptor. She was tall for a woman and some would have described her as having aged well, considering she was approaching forty. Her hazel eyes were normally impassive though Bruin thought he could detect some apprehension behind them. Her brown hair was cut short and she looked every bit the part of how one would expect an Executive Officer to look.

"Yes ma'am, we're just waiting for our guests to arrive and then we'll be off. It's hard to believe we're working with the MoI," Bruin said as he broached the subject even though he knew he probably should not have.

"Yes we are, not the first time I've dealt with them though," Minerva said as she tried to force back disgust in her voice.

"Is this the Raptor for the Fort Milledge Express?" a tall blonde woman asked as she walked up to the Raptor.

Bruin looked at her, she was wearing the gray Ministry of Intelligence uniform that resembled a Colonial Fleet uniform, "That's right, though I didn't realize it had been given that name."

"That's what Major Windsor called it," she said as she held out her hand, "Captain Whitney Thompson, I'm escorting the Major to pick up our prisoner."

Bruin shook her outstretched hand, "Lieutenant John Bruin, call sign 'Tornado', and I'm your pilot for this little taxi run."

"Really, well I hope you don't charge us too much of a fare," Windsor said as he walked up to where Bruin and Thompson were standing.

"If I did you might make me 'disappear'," Bruin said with air quotes to emphasize the word 'disappear'.

"Lieutenant, I hate to tell you this but I think you've watched one too many spy movies," Windsor said with a friendly smile.

"Uh-huh," Bruin said, not wanting to turn the situation tense before they had to depart for Fort Milledge. He then clocked the ring fingers on their left hands, he had no idea why he did it but he noticed that Thompson had an engagement ring while Windsor had a wedding ring. The more he was around these two MoI officers the less was sure if their world was really for him.

"Give us a moment to get strapped in and then we'll be ready for you take off," Windsor said as Thompson took a seat in the rear while he took the co-pilot seat.

"Colonel Minerva, are you here to see us off?" Windsor asked.

"Hardly, I'm coming along with you for this trip," Minerva said as she stepped into the Raptor.

"That's nice but it won't be necessary," Windsor said.

"Much like yourself Windsor, I have orders and I'm going to follow them so don't think you can use any of your MoI tactics on me," Minerva said. Her statement did not prompt a rebuttal from either Windsor or Thompson.

"Just let me know when you're ready," Bruin said as he went through his mental checklist to make sure he had taken care of everything that needed to be done. He nodded to a nearby knuckle-dragger who began to direct the process of moving the Raptor to its location to be lifted up to the landing deck of the port flight pod.

Minutes later the Raptor carrying the two MoI officers and Colonel Minerva was one of many large and small craft in orbit around the colony of Caprica. Bruin set his course for the northern hemisphere of the world and began the flight that would land them at Fort Milledge. He allowed himself a slight smile; at least he was only there to visit…unless the Ministry of Intelligence had created some false charge to use against him.

'Damn it, I really have watched one too many spy movies,' Bruin chided himself.

**Forty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Fort Milledge:**

Bruin was piloting through the middle of a nasty storm that was raging across the Issus Ocean, he could make out a speck of land that looked no larger than a postage stamp on the horizon.

"Can you see where you're going?" Thompson asked as she held the straps keeping her in her seat tighter each time the Raptor was buffeted by a blast of wind.

"Of course I can," Bruin said which was only half true. The Issus Ocean was notorious for storms that could show up on a moment's notice, and this one looked to be particularly nasty.

"I have all the confidence in you Mr. Bruin," Windsor said as he stared ahead at the same speck of land that Bruin was looking at. He kept his composure calm, this was a picnic compared to some of the other destinations he had been to during his career as an intelligence officer.

"Good to know," Bruin said through gritted teeth as he fought to control the Raptor. This weather was probably one of the reasons why Fort Milledge was constructed as a military prison. It seemed to him the term 'escape proof' applied to this facility.

"Raptor Four-Eight-Seven, we have you on our grid," a man's voice said over the wireless set.

"Fort Milledge this is Raptor Four-Eight-Seven, we are here on Ministry of Intelligence business and need to land as soon as possible," Bruin said as a gust of wind caused the Raptor to spin around before he righted it.

"Fort Milledge this is Major Evan Windsor, we have a scheduled arrival today to pick up a prisoner," Windsor said.

"Please provide the confirmation password that we have on file," the air traffic controller said.

"The password is 'Fairfield'," Windsor said immediately.

"Password confirmed; we will set up a tracking beacon to your landing spot on the landing pad to the aft of the Administration Building."

"We're going in. Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride,"

Bruin announced as he flew the Raptor to where the tracking beacon had begun to transmit its signal.

Moments later the Raptor touched down on the landing pad and was promptly lowered into a hangar. Bruin was not sure how Windsor and Thompson felt but he was particularly glad to not have to get out in the raging storm that he had just piloted through.

"This flight has arrived at the destination, please exit and enjoy your stay at Fort Milledge," Bruin said as he pressed the button to open the hatch out of the Raptor.

Windsor and Thompson exited first, followed by Minerva, and finally Bruin joined them once he had completed the process of shutting down the Raptor. There was a welcoming party in the hangar waiting for them. It was composed of three men, two women, and several guards.

"They know how to make a person feel welcome," Bruin commented though neither of the MoI officers responded to it.

"Welcome to Fort Milledge," a slim, older man said as he walked up to Windsor and offered a handshake, "I'm Victor Tregenna and I'm the warden of this facility."

"Major Evan Windsor, and with me are Whitney Thompson, Susan Minerva, and John Bruin," Windsor said as he took the handshake that Tregenna offered.

"Lieutenant James Webster, I'm the MoI officer assigned to Fort Milledge along with agents Torina Wren and Reuben Overton," Webster said as he walked up and greeted Windsor.

"Glad to meet you," Windsor said as he exchanged pleasantries with his fellow MoI officers.

"Major Windsor my name is Darya Arezu, and I'm the head of security for Fort Milledge. If you would be so kind as to follow us to the Sicard Building," Arezu motioned for Windsor to follow her and the rest of the welcoming party.

"Thompson and Bruin, I want you to wait here for me until I return with our package. Colonel, if you'd be so kind as to follow me," Windsor said as he and Minerva left with the rest of the group.

**Battlestar Libran:**

Back on the _Libran _a thought came to Tattnall and he thought it might be something to his advantage. He picked the receiver off of its cradle and punched in the number that would connect him directly to Communications. A moment later he heard the voice of Lieutenant Tiffany Bradford.

"This is Commander Tattnall, patch me through to Rear Admiral Tolan's Office at the Colonial Fleet Bureau of Ships," Tattnall said and a moment later he heard a voice pick up on the other line.

"Commander, it is nice to hear from you, how is the new command," reply Rear Admiral Scott Tolan.

"It's taking some work but she's looking much better. Don't be surprised if we have to make a trip to Inactive Reserve to get some supplies for us and the faststars. If you don't mind me saying Admiral…I need your help," replied Tattnall.

"With what Tattnall?" asks Tolan.

"The MoI," reply Tattnall.

"Ah yes the MoI, one of the most interesting groups of I've had to work with and that includes my family back on Canceron. Alright Tattnall, what do you need?" asks Tolan.

After he finished his conversation with Tolan, Tattnall placed a call to Fort Milledge and after going through several different people finally managed to get the right person who would allow him to speak with Major Windsor. A few minute later the MoI officer's voice came over the line.

"Commander, nice to hear from you so soon but could this not wait until I got back to the ship and is this going to be continue our discussion from earlier?" Windsor asked.

"When we bring Mr. Carr onboard I want to be able to watch the interrogation," Tattnall said without any hesitation.

"Before I say 'Yes' to this I would like to know why this interests you."

"This is my ship, as I mentioned earlier, and I would like to know what information is gathered from this prisoner so I can have some idea as to what lies ahead for my crew. I won't interfere with your people, I'll just be there to observe. I also want him taken to Sickbay for a medical evaluation. Simply wanting to protect an intelligence asset, and I took the liberty of running this by an influential member of the Admiralty who has friends in Fleet Intelligence. I was told to inform that while you have a prisoner on my ship you are to 'play nice'," Tattnall said, wondering if Windsor was going to truly be accommodating.

There was silence on the other end before Windsor finally spoke,

"Very well Commander, I agree to your requests and since you have already gone over my head I have only on one condition."

"Condition!" quoted an infuriated Tattnall. "And what would that be exactly?"

"That the MoI has full authority on how much of the information gathered is repeated outside of the interrogation room. This includes your crew."

Tattnall had to bite his lip in order to prevent himself from saying something he would probably regret. He reluctantly agreed figuring it was best to meet Windsor somewhere in the middle.

Tattnall put the receiver down feeling as though he had won a small victory and thought "Thank you Admiral Tolan, I owe you one." He turned his attention to the report on the faststars that were in the process of being reactivated and modernized for this mission. Twelve faststars were scheduled to join his task force, so far only five had been finished; the _Robert Smith_, _Clemson_, _Asturias_, _Velos_, and _Psara_. Two of the faststars, the _Cassin_ and _Rathburne_, were found to be in worse materiel condition than originally reported.

They were quickly sent to the scrap yard while two other _Clemson_-class faststars, the _Sigourney _and the _Palaiologos_, were pulled from reserve to take their place.

It was actually a relief to have twelve of these fast attack craft from the Cylon War present to protect the Libran. During the war the faststars were deployed for patrols, hit-and-run attacks on the Cylons, and could be used to provide added defense for the battlestars. The _Clemson _class was mass-produced during the war, and they served admirably. The downside was that many were lost due to taking missiles that were meant for a battlestar or were destroyed by a suicide dive by a Cylon Raider.

**Fort Milledge:**

"I guess it's just the two of us then," Bruin said to try to break the silence that fell on them once they were alone in the hangar.

"Not really, I think there's some maintenance people here so it's really not 'just the two of us'," Thompson said with an amused look on her face.

"Alright so I was mistaken," Bruin said with a laugh as he took a seat at a table that sat near the wall the Raptor was closest to.

"Yes you were, so…" Thompson said as she took a seat across from him, "I take it this is the part where we play 'Twenty Questions'?"

"I don't see why not, we don't have much more to do until Windsor returns. I'll be go first, who's your fiancé?" Bruin asked.

"What makes you say I have one of those?" Thompson asked.

"You are such a MoI agent, the ring on your finger looks every bit like an engagement ring."

"You're very observant Lieutenant Bruin; I've been engaged for the past year now. My fiancé's name is Edward Hayden; he's an instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Basilone on Aquaria. What about you, do you have any family?"

"I was engaged to be married when I graduated from Abry but my first deployment on the _Audacious _she sent me a letter telling me that she had reconnected with one of her ex-boyfriends and that they were in love," Bruin said.

"That must have been hard on you," Thompson said as she wondered what effect that had on him.

"Yeah it was rough, but I survived. At least I have my family and my faith and that will get me through most of life's challenges."

**SV Mandasor, Naree Sector, Sagitarron: **

The freighter _Mandasor _cruised through the Naree Sector on its way from the colony of Sagitarron to a place where hopefully it would not be discovered.

James Thorn walked the corridor as he made his way to the captain's quarters. Their trip to Sagitarron had been successful, in terms of acquiring both materiel and crew. In the past three years it had been discovered that people from the poorer colonies were willing to join with them for the chance to earn money and strike a blow against the wealthier colonies. The ironic part was that they were joining an organization that traced it roots back to the pre-Cylon War military of Tauron.

It had been three years now since the pirate group Erebea had engaged the Tenth and Fifteenth Fleets in the Erebeus Belt. The result had been a near slaughter of the pirate group, with only a small handful of ships managing to do a risky FTL jump. Thorn felt he was lucky to have survived. The ship he was on was so heavily damaged that it had to be abandoned and scuttled.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and knocked on the hatch that lead into the Captain's Quarters, when he heard the captain give permission he turned the wheel and pulled the hatch open.

Cinta Melati stared out the window of her cabin watching the stars in the dark void of space, seemingly oblivious to Thorn's presence.

"I take it our trip to Sagitarron was a success?" she asked, not taking her brown eyes off of the darkness of space.

"Yes it was; we managed to gain supplies and crew…" Thorn said and then he was quiet as he thought about if he should say to her what he wanted to, "Renoir would be proud of the work you've done these past three years."

Melati turned and faced him, "I would like to think so, I was the one who was left holding the pieces after he and the rest of the higher-ranking members were killed."

"It's been a rough patch for us, but look at what we've managed to accomplish," Thorn said in an attempt to find a silver lining.

"I wish I shared your optimism," Melati said as she turned to look at him. Her brown eyes hid the storm of disappointment that had recently raged behind them in her mind, "I look at what we've done and I see how far the Erebea have fallen. We have some of our original outposts left that we can hide at, but as a fighting force we're far from what we were three years ago."

"I know what we've done here has not been on the same scale as what we had before we allied ourselves with the Sagitarron Liberation Army."

"We're attacking ships still and raiding small settlements but that's it, if a ship is in a convoy we can barely put up an assault. We're small-time now and we have to find a way to regroup and become more powerful. There was a time when companies paid us to not attack their ships or towns paid us to leave them alone. Renoir made us rich beyond what we could have imagined!" Melati slammed her hand down on the desk, making Thorn jump slightly.

"If your plan works then we can gain our lost prestige," Thorn said, it was a plan that was ambitious and the kind of thing Melati could use to unite the various factions of the remnants of the Erebea.

"If it works we will have firepower to match up against the Colonial Fleet and keep them thinking about whether to attack us or not," Melati said as she looked at the paperwork she had on her desk. With some of the leftover capital in Renoir's accounts she had used the money to form the Chevalier Salvage Corporation. It was a shell company that she was using for the sole purpose of buying Colonial Fleet vessels and equipment destined for the scrap yard. It was her hope that this would allow her to come across a decommissioned battlestar and the Vipers she would need to use for her own purposes.

**Libran Sickbay: **

Dr. Septimus Hibbert, Chief Medical Officer of the _Libran_, was having a word with a fellow doctor in his office. Dr. William Mearns had been assigned as one of the two surgeons on the battlestar, and like Hibbert was getting settled into the life of a ship's doctor as well as ensuring all the equipment had been delivered and was in working order. The other doctor, Dr. Godfrey Taylor, was currently on duty in Sickbay.

"Dr. Hibbert, the Commander has come here requesting a word with you," Nurse Líadáin Shevaun said from the entrance to the doctor's office.

"Wonder what he's here for," Mearns said.

"I'll find out, come by later and I'll let you know if it's serious or not," Hibbert said as he stood up to bid his colleague farewell until they could talk again.

After Mearns had left Commander Tattnall entered the room and closed the door.

"Commander Tattnall, what can I do for you?" Hibbert asked.

"First, how are you and your people finding Sickbay here on the Libran?"

"She's not quite what I was used to on the _Redoubtable_, but then again that was a Mecury. I'm reminded of the two years I spent on the _Athena_," Hibbert said.

"Same vintage as the _Athena_, a holdover from another period of time," Tattnall said.

"Hasn't been quite that long but your point's taken Commander, given time the kinks can be worked out and she'll be running as smoothly as the newest battlestar," Hibbert said as he looked around his surroundings.

"Indeed," Tattnall said before deciding to get to the point,

"We're docking with Caprica Station for the time being, and a Raptor is scheduled to return from Fort Milledge after picking up a prisoner. I'm going to have him sent here to you for a medical evaluation; I want you to take detailed notes about his physical condition when he arrives. Remember to be thorough. If anything has been hidden I want to know."

Hibbert nodded, "That won't be a problem Commander, is there a reason why?"

"He's due to be interrogated by the MoI and I want to make sure that our friend Major Windsor doesn't overstep his boundaries," Tattnall saw the look on Hibbert's face and decided to elaborate, "I have no love for the Erebea but this is my ship and anything done to a prisoner on here reflects on me in one way or another."

"I understand sir, the MoI are not exactly known for being the gentle type," Hibbert said.

"I've already sent Colonel Minerva to escort Windsor to Fort Milledge, if she witnesses any mistreatment I'll have her come to you with the information."

**Fifty-One Minutes Later:**

**Fort Milledge: **

The door opened to allow Minerva and Windsor to enter the hangar. A group of several guards were surrounding a man who looked to be about six feet tall. He wore an orange prison jump suit with 'FMP' in stencil letters across the front. His wrists and ankles were manacled and there was a black hood placed over his head.

"I think your package has been processed for shipping," Bruin said to Thompson.

She nodded, "Yeah, looks like he's going to be like this all the way back to the ship."

When the group reached the Raptor two of the guards helped the prisoner onto the passenger bench and checked his restraints to make sure they were secure. It was then that Bruin, Thompson, Windsor, and Minerva boarded the Raptor.

"Lieutenant, open a channel to the _Libran_ and let Commander Tattnall know that we're on the way with the package," Windsor said though he wished he could have just kept Tattnall and the rest of the ship's officers out the loop in this particular part of the mission.

"I'll be glad to be out of here, I've never been a big fan of the cold," Minerva admitted as she shivered just thinking of the cold weather that was beyond the wall of the hangar. She could see why Fort Milledge had a reputation for being escape proof.

"As soon as I have clearance to fly we'll be out of here," Bruin said as he waited patiently for the word to leave.


	3. Chapter 3: The Search Begins

**Chapter Three: The Search Begins**

**Faststar **_**Robert Smith**_**:**

It had been three hours now since the arrival from Fort Milledge on Caprica. MoI officer Whitney Thompson had not been pleased when Major Evan Windsor had ordered her to be transported back to the faststar Robert Smith. Her quarters were an example of the work that had been put into modernizing the twelve _Clemson_-class faststars when the decision had been made to bring them back to active service.

She removed the jacket she had worn and draped it over the arm of the couch that was along the side of room by the door. She walked over and sat in the office chair in front of the desk where she had arranged her paper work.

'Business can wait,' she thought to herself as she turned on the video screen and brought the keyboard to where she could type on it. A few keystrokes later and the screen flickered as it made contact with the ship her fiancé was on at the _Coronis_ Industrial Shipyard. The yard was in the orbit of Aquaria and was owned by _Coronis_ Industries, itself a front company used by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Moments later, her fiancé's face showed up on the video screen.

"How's work?" she asked.

He shrugged, "We got the _Gemenon_ from the Inactive Reserve not too long ago, I walked the ship and to be honest with you, it's going to take some TLC to get her back to looking respectable."

"I didn't realize that _she_ was in such bad shape," Thompson said.

He held his hands up, "You know you're the only girl in my life, you can do more for me than the _Gemenon_ can."

"Damn right, I'd better be the only girl in your life! Besides, I can do more for you than a battlestar ever could," she said with a sly smile before deciding to ask about _Gemenon_ again, "I take it the last crew did not do such a great job with the decommissioning?"

Her fiancé shook his head, "They either didn't know what to do about it or they simply didn't care. Either way it's my job to get this ship and all these Mark V Vipers fixed up and ready for the trap being sprung for the Erebea."

"You, Arthur Wallace, look like you're having too much fun with this. You're acting like a kid in a candy store," Thompson said with a laugh.

"That's probably because I am; it's nice of the MoI to give me a job I'm excited about. Better this than being stuck on a mission with Major Windbag…I mean Windsor."

"If this wasn't a secure line that comment could get me in hot water with Windsor, besides the fact that he doesn't even know you're my fiancé." Thompson knew going into this mission that there was bad blood between Wallace and Windsor, if he knew that she was engaged to the man he despised then the odds were good that he would do everything in his power to sabotage her career.

Wallace laughed, "We are living dangerously then; exciting isn't it?"

"I thought that trip to visit your home on Aquaria was exciting enough, especially when that storm blew in from the ocean."

"True, but I think I provided you with enough of a diversion to where you didn't mind the storm."

"You are incorrigible," Thompson declared.

Wallace shrugged, "It's all a part of my charm."

"I'm sending you some before and after photos of these faststars they have us on," Thompson said as she took in her more modern looking surroundings. 'Gods, they had to do a lot of work to get you looking like something besides a museum piece.'

"Sounds good, send them over and I'll look at them when I have some downtime. We have another trip to the Inactive Reserve to strip equipment from the battlestars there," Wallace said.

Thompson was intrigued, "Which battlestars are you going to visit?"

"The _Deimos_, _Elektra_, _Talos_, _Vindictive,_ _Furious_, and the _Defiance_ are on our list to visit for parts. If we need to we also have the _Jupiter_ and _Courageous_ but since both of them are on Active Reserve I doubt we'll get to really take any equipment from them."

"You are going to have fun going over those; I'm sure if they're from the Cylon War you can walk their decks and imagine if Stryker being there."

Wallace smiled, "Yeah, I think that will enter my mind. If it weren't for him I wouldn't have ended up where I am now and then I'd have never met you."

"On that note I'm going to call it a night and let you get back to your boat," Thompson said.

"It's a ship," Wallace corrected.

"Of course it is," Thompson said with a roll of her eyes as she ended the video connection.

_**Battlestar Libran:**_

Captain Leonard Harmon and Agent Nessa Gendreau stood in the observation room that looked into the interrogation room where Thomas Carr was handcuffed to a chair behind the only table in the room. Harmon had come over from the faststar Clemson when Windsor had sent him the orders to arrive and Gendreau had managed to get over from the faststar _Psara_, it seemed that Windsor wanted them here specifically for the interrogation.

"He looks nervous," Gendreau observed.

Harmon nodded his head, "He goes from Fort Milledge to a place he does not recognize, I think Windsor keeping that hood on his head until he arrived here threw him off. He knows he's been transported but he has no idea where he is."

"Probably one of the head games the Major is playing with him puts the ball in our court," Gendreau said.

The hatch swung open and into the room walked Major Evan Windsor, the MoI officer in charge of the group of MoI agents that had been selected for the mission. Instead of an MoI uniform, he instead wore a black business suit that made him look more like a high-priced lawyer or businessman instead of an intelligence officer.

He brought two cups of coffee with him, without saying a word; he sat down across the table from Carr and slid one of the cups towards him.

"That's poison," Carr said.

Windsor smiled, "No, if it were hospital food then you could call it poison. This is the real stuff here, one hundred percent quality Scorpion coffee from Argentum Bay."

"Where am I?" he asked Windsor.

"I'm going to get to that in due time, but first feel free to drink your coffee. I'm sure that time at Fort Milledge must have frozen you all the way down to your bones," Windsor said as he took a sip of his coffee and then produced a brown folder from his jacket, "I forgot my briefcase on the way here so I had to tuck this into my jacket. It's a miracle I was able to keep it from falling out."

"Uh-huh," Car muttered.

Windsor looked hurt, "Now Mr. Carr, going through life without a sense of humor is not good for you. You won't live long if you don't learn to laugh."

"Tell me where I am and I might give it some thought," Carr said with a hard edge in his voice.

"I'm impressed, Mr. Carr, no, truly I am," Windsor began, "You are in a place so unfamiliar you cannot figure out where. You could be in a new government installation somewhere on land, you could be on a ship at sea, or you could even be on a battlestar out in space and that mind of yours cannot decide which one."

"Is this some kind of game to you?" Carr asked, his voice slipping from its cocky demeanor.

Windsor leaned forward and his eyes fixed on Carr's, "A game, no, you see this is my job. A job that I am quite good at and one I take rather seriously."

"I'm lost," Carr said with a look of genuine confusion, "What is your job?"

"I'm in the information business, and my job is to acquire whatever information I am asked to collect."

"So you want information of mine, how does that make me so important to you?"

"Mr. Carr, who said you were important? If it weren't for my job I would not even know you existed, that is how insignificant you are to me. What is probably the only thing significant to me is what's in that brain of yours…or what little is left of it after a life I'm sure has been spent in an alcohol-induced fog," Windsor said as he opened the envelope and produced a piece of paper.

"This is a deal authorized by Attorney General Natalia Russell herself," Windsor said as he pointed to the paper he had laid on the desk in front of Carr, "In exchange for your cooperation with us you will be given a pardon once our mission is complete."

Carr looked up at him, "What mission, just who are you?"

'Guess I can put some of my cards on the table,' Windsor thought to himself before he said, "My name is Major Evan Windsor and I am with the Ministry of Intelligence."

"You're lying, the Ministry of Intelligence has a reputation for being more extreme with their methods," Carr said.

'Gods, this idiot has watched one too many spy movies,' Windsor said to himself as he pulled out his MoI credentials, "See right there, Mr. Carr, it says Evan Phillip Windsor and that little insignia you see making up the background is the one for the Ministry of Intelligence. So, before you say something, know that I can get as extreme as I need to be. I'd rather do this nicely, this is an expensive suit and I'd hate to get it dirty with blood and other assorted items."

Carr was quiet, as though he was pondering what might lie ahead for him if he did not cooperate. "What do you want to know?"

**Sago Station:**

Cinta Melati stood at the railing overlooking the group of recruits from the last 'recruiting drive' the Erebea had initiated. While the Erebeaprided itself on being a pure Tauron fighting force, the destruction of the bulk of the group's members had caused a new line of thinking. Melati knew that, at least for now, they would have to take whatever they could get in terms of new members until the day came when they could purify their ranks with those of Tauron blood.

"Cubit for your thoughts?" James Thorn, Melati's second-in-command and trusted advisor asked.

"Thinking of how far we've fallen since the Colonial Fleet engaged us," Melati said with disgust. It pained her that an organization was forced to take whatever thug or mercenary that expressed an interest.

"This is a lean period for us but it's not as hopeless as it seems," Thorn said before adding, "We can still appropriate ships that we can convert for our own uses and we still have the weapons cache Renior had stored away for just such an occasion. Not to mention the millions of cubits that were hidden away."

Melati allowed herself a slight smile, "The foresight of the Erebea's founders."

Back during the early days of the group, after they had splintered away from the Tauron military over the Articles of Colonization dispute, the group's founders had come up with a plan to finance their operations. A fund had been set up under a shadow company where a portion of the group's money was put aside as a fallback option if a worst-case scenario were to take place. Admiral Pierre Renoir had started a weapons cache when he first took charge of the Erebea to allow for rearmament in case something should happen.

"Our people recently bought a group of merchant ships from Delvia Shipping that we can turn into privateer vessels. They should be delivered here within the hour. Of course, the official story is that we're going to scrap them," Thorn said.

"You are valuable to me, James, without you I might not have been able to get us to where we are right now," Melati said, her Tauron accent thickening up noticeably, "I want you to handle the introduction this time. I need to make a phone call."

Thorn simply nodded and walked towards the stairs to walk down to the level below and begin the official welcome of the group to the Erebea.

Melati headed down the corridor and turned to an elevator that required a card key, which she produced from the pocket of her uniform pants. Once she was inside and the doors closed the pressed the button for the top floor, like in most of these older science stations, the quarters and office for the station's commander were located on the top floor of the facility.

As the elevator began to work its way to the top she took the time to reflect on what her life could have been like if things had been different for her.

Her parents had amassed a considerable fortune on Tauron, but their businesses were wiped out with the ratification of the Articles of Colonization. The cheaper costs of doing business with the poorer colonies proved to be fatal and they lost all they had. That was a driving force behind her joining up with the Erebea. At least the splinter group of the Tauron military knew where their loyalty lay, and perhaps there was a chance that one day the damage done by the Articles could be undone and life could go to what it was like before the Cylon War. Twelve independent worlds left to their own devices and a chance to forge their own destinies, it did hold a certain appeal to her.

She sat at her desk and let out a long sigh, the hours spent rebuilding the Erebea had taken a lot of her energy but it was something that had to be done. She was after all Cinta Kasih Melati, the daughter of Dian Melati, and her whole life had been spent defying the odds.

She opened a secure phone line and dialed the mobile number she had been given by the person she was know calling. It would be somewhat of a business call but there was a certain pleasure to it as well.

A few rings later and the man answered, "If it isn't Cinta Melati herself; this is a welcome diversion."

"William Savedge, you are a mix of business and pleasure," Melati said as she allowed a small smile.

"I'm glad I can provide you with both," Savedge said.

"I suppose I'll get the formality out of the way. How are things proceeding with my battlestar?"

There was a pause, "Work is coming along just fine, nothing out of the ordinary for a weapons dealer such as myself." Savedge was the cover identity for Arthur Wallace, a cover that a lot of work had gone into producing.

_Libran_:

Commander Nicholas Tattnall read over the morning dispatches that he had received from the faststars that were standing guard to give the _Libran_ an outer defensive ring. He had seen the reports of how these ships had been taken out of reserve with their interiors looking like they had that Cylon War era feel. Now they had been given a complete modernization and were decidedly up to the standards of the modern Colonial Fleet.

There to be twelve of the _Clemson_-class faststars assigned to protect the _Libran_. Only five of the twelve had been finished, the _Robert Smith, Clemson, Asturias, Velos_, and _Psara_. The rest would follow as soon as the modernization could be finished on them.

A letter from Picon Fleet Headquarters was included among the dispatches. He looked and saw that the _Libran_ and its faststars now had a homeport to call their own. The Colonial Fleet was setting up one of its Cylon War spaceports that had been in disuse since the end of the war as a port for the _Libran_. It was currently being towed to the Palomar Sector.

The hatch on the door spun and when the door opened Evan Windsor stepped into the room.

"You know Major, most people announce their presence or send word that they're going to be visiting," Tattnall said.

"Right. Well, Commander I will be coming to visit you shortly. Does that do the job?" Windsor asked.

Tattnall let out a sigh, "It'll have to do for now. What brings you to my modest quarters?"

"We have a plan of attack now that Mr. Carr has been quite generous with his information," Windsor said as he produced a piece of paper out of his suit jacket.

"Where are we heading?" Tattnall asked, his irritation with Windsor having waned in light of this new information.

Windsor walked over and slid the paper over to Tattnall, "Ontarus Sector, near the Korax Nebula, seems to be the first in a string of bases that should bring us closer to the Erebea's main base of operations."

"Do you have any intelligence on what we can expect there?" Tattnall asked.

Windsor shook his head, "We may want to task a couple of the faststars to do some reconnaissance for us. I doubt the base will be too much trouble for us."

"I appreciate the optimism, but I'd rather know what we're going up against before I commit my people to a battle," Tattnall said as he pondered what they might find at the base.

MoI Lieutenant Brooke Carlson walked into the room, drawing an inquisitive look from Windsor and an annoyed look from Tattnall. It seemed to him that the Ministry of Intelligence officers were lacking in etiquette.

"Major, we just received a Code Orange message from headquarters," Carlson said. The Ministry of Intelligence was headquartered on Picon in the city of Gray; there was always a certain level of mystique to the facility that became the basis of many rumors and urban legends.

"What is it?" Windsor asked as he took the message from Carlson.

"Anything of interest?" Tattnall asked.

Windsor shook his head, "Nothing that seems relevant to our mission. If it becomes relevant you'll be the first to know."

"Right, well I'm going to the CIC to organize our reconnaissance mission. I'll let you know when we have information for you and your people," Tattnall said as he stood up and straightened his uniform jacket.

**CIC:**

Tattnall entered the CIC and immediately went to the Communications Station where Lieutenant James Ward was on duty.

"Mr. Ward, establish a connection to the _Robert Smith_. I need to speak to Colonel Baines," Tattnall said.

"Establishing link now," Ward said as he began to hail the _Robert Smith_.

"I have Colonel Baines," he said as he handed the receiver to Tattnall.

"This is Actual," Tattnall said.

"I am curious as to why you called for me, Commander," Colonel Arleen Baines was one of the two officers who would command the two groups of six faststars.

"I'm sending you a set of coordinates the MoI have provided me that should be the location of an Erebea base. I need you to take your faststars there and scout for me so we can know what we're going to be up against," Tattnall said.

"We can leave within the hour; send the coordinates and we'll begin preparations," Baines said.

"Good hunting out there, Colonel Baines, we'll see you and your faststars when you return," Tattnall said and then he motioned for Ward to sever the connection. 

**Faststar **_**Robert Smith**_**: **

"Action stations, Action stations. Set Condition One throughout the ship, this is not a drill," the voice of the tactical officer said as he made the announcement over the ship's 1MC.

Whitney Thompson jumped to attention as she was jettisoned from the world of sleep she had been in.

"What's going on?" she asked even though she was the only one in the room.

She threw her clothes on and left the room, she tried to navigate through the maze of corridors as the ship's crew made their way to their respective duty stations.

She ascended the various stairways and made her way forward of where her room had been located. It was then that she saw the metal door with the words 'CIC' stenciled in black.

She opened it and saw that the occupants of the room looked calm; Colonel Baines in particular was going over something with the XO.

"Is this some kind of drill?" Thompson asked as she walked over to where Baines and the XO were standing.

Baines was a woman in her early forties with tan skin, hazel eyes, and brown hair that seemed to be short enough to make a boot camp drill instructor happy.

"We just received orders from the _Libran_, it seems your Major Windsor has found us a target of interest," Baines said coolly.

"I wish you had given me a heads-up on it instead of waking me up so suddenly with the call to Action Stations!"

"I had assumed you MoI types shared everything so you'd have already known well before Commander Tattnall knew something," Baines said with the same cool voice she had used before.

"Well next time you might want to lay off the assumptions," Thompson felt her temper rising so she decided to take it down and not let the situation flare up, "What's our destination?"

"The Ontarus Sector. We're going to scout ahead and see what the Erebea have there, if they're even there at all."

Thompson's eyes went wide, "That's not far from Canceron space, and I'd have assumed they'd stay near Tauron since that's where they originated from."

"It seems the Erebea are trying to go against the conventional thinking. Perhaps you and your people might want to lay off of the assumptions as well," Baines said.

Thompson was going to say something but Baines was already talking to her XO again. All she could do was go over to Tactical and see what was going on from there. The small CIC felt cramped enough, and being at Condition One meant she was going to have to endure the close confines with an officer who did not seem to care much for having her onboard.

"Colonel, FTL drive is online and ready for use," Lieutenant Celeste Lindsey announced from her tactical station.

"Very well, when all ships report ready for FTL jump we'll start our reconnaissance of the Erebea base," Baines said.

"Do you think we'll run into any trouble?" Thompson asked.

Baines shrugged her shoulders, "No telling; if everything works out then we'll have little to worry about. If all else fails we can jump away and let the _Libran_ come and put its weapons and air wing to use."

"Colonel, all ships have reported in. We are ready for FTL jump," Major Terrell Whitaker reported.

"Commence FTL jump in 3…2…1…," Baines said and moments after the five faststars jumped away from the _Libran_ to the coordinates for the Erebea base.

_**Libran**_**, CIC: **

"Commander, the faststars have jumped away," Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg reported.

"Thank you, Mr. Freyburg," Tattnall said before turning his attention to Freyburg, "Mr. Ward, we'll keep a channel open in case they run into trouble, in the meantime I want to commence flight operations. We'll hope for the best and prepare for the worst,"

Colonel Susan Minerva, the _Libran_'s XO, walked to the Command and Control Station where Tattnall was standing, "Are you sure we should conduct flight operations when there is a chance we may need our air wing for a battle?"

"Does it seem risky to you?"

"I see the point of going on in a business-as-usual way but this doesn't seem to be an ordinary assignment?"

"I figure we have a window of maybe ten minutes or so before we get reports, I doubt the Erebea is powerful enough to jam communications," Tattnall said as he mentally prepared himself for the possibility that he would have to go into battle.

**Ontarus Sector:**

_**Robert Smith**_**: **

"All ships have completed the jump, by the looks of things we seem to be out of DRADIS range," Lindsey announced.

"I want all ships to immediately start taking reconnaissance photos and video, the sooner we get this done the faster we can be out of here before the Erebea know we're here," Baines said.

Thompson stood by Lindsey's station and watched as the surveillance equipment installed on the faststars went to work. A nearby screen suddenly began to show the various photos of the large installation that the Erebea was using as a base of some sort.

'Could it be the main one?' she thought to herself before she dismissed it out of hand. The Erebea probably had to be off the proverbial well-worn path to have survived for three years after having their forces practically wiped out by the Tenth and Fifteenth Fleets.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the panicked voice of Lindsey.

"Colonel, I am detecting multiple DRADIS contacts off the port beam of the _Clemson_," Lindsey called out in shock at the sight of the cluster on the DRADIS screen.

"Are they friendly?" Thompson asked and suddenly kicked herself for asking. If this was an area controlled by the Erebea then the odds were good that they were looking at enemy contacts.

"All ships turn port to face them head on, I want weapons ready to fire on my order," Baines called out to the personnel in the CIC.

"DRADIS signatures match the Brecon-class repair ships from the Cylon War," Lindsey called out.

"That's a holdover from the Cylon War?" Baines asked aloud before turning her attention back to Lindsey, "Have their weapons gone hot?"

"Negative, no heat signatures that can be detected," there was a pause before she added; "They are holding position fifty yards away from us."

"What are they trying to do?" Baines asked.

"It doesn't feel right," Thompson said as she walked up to Baines, "They have to have recognized who we are and that we're not here to sell them magazine subscriptions."

"Let's get what information we've already gathered and get out of here; I just have a bad feeling about this."

Thompson nodded her head, "I agree, Colonel. Let's get back to the _Libran_ and see where we stand."

Before the Erebea ships could fire a shot the five faststars had jumped away from the sector and back to the safety of the Libran.

**Fourteen Hours Later:**

_**Libran**_**, War Room: **

Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg and the MoI personnel that were still stationed onboard the Libran joined Tattnall and Minerva in the War Room. For the moment, Whitney Thompson was the only agent not on the _Libran_, since only five of the faststars had been put back into service.

"Tactical has finished our analysis of the information gathered by the faststars and it looks like this target has changed since Thomas Carr was there," Windsor said as he pressed a button that brought up several of the images gathered during the mission.

"What have your people learned?" Tattnall asked.

"It seems that somehow the Erebea have come across various Cylon War era ships, mainly used by the Fleet during the war and were listed as having been disposed of by scrapping. Somehow our Tauron friends have acquired and armed them," Windsor said as he pressed a button that brought up the image of one of the vessels that had been encountered, "You are looking at a group of five _Brecon_-class repair ships. We have decided to run the available data through the Colonial Fleet Vessel Registry and came across the names of the vessels. You are looking at the _Amantia_, the _Daedala_, the _Napata,_ the _Tjaru,_ and the _Tharros_. They have been placed in service of the Erebea somehow and we have yet to figure out why."

"What I wonder about is how the Erebea didn't change the names of the ships," Leonard Harmon said.

"Bad luck," Tattnall said and then saw that some of the MoI personnel did not understand what he meant, "To those of us in the Colonial Fleet or in the planetary naval forces it is considered a bad omen to change the name of a ship after it's been christened and brought into service. I'm sure the Erebea feel the same way about name changes."

"Does that mean you're one of those superstitious types?" Brooke Carlson asked.

"I have no real comment on that but let's just say I don't want to tempt fate and leave it at that," Tattnall said.

"Do you believe you have the resources to mount an attack on this station?" Windsor asked.

Tattnall thought about it before responding, "Not at this moment. We have five faststars and one battlestar and I have no idea just what the Erebea have there waiting for us. I'd rather wait until we have those seven other faststars to add to our arsenal. Not to mention it will give us time to train the air wing further."

"When will you have those ready?" Harmon asked before Windsor had the chance to ask the same question.

"Give me a few minutes and I will find out for you," Tattnall said before turning his attention to Freyburg, "Mister Freyburg, do you have any information as to who is in charge of the reactivation of our faststars?"

"Yes sir, give me a moment to bring it up…" Freyburg said as he consulted a set of notes he had with him.

"We don't have all day, Lieutenant," Windsor said, which only served to get an annoyed look from Tattnall directed his way.

"The seven ships are at the Lampetia Shipyards undergoing reactivation under the eye of a Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Cyprian," Freyburg said.

Tattnall walked over to a nearby phone and pressed a button on the receiver, he spoke his orders to the Communications Officer and it was not long before he had a connection with the person he was looking for.

"Colonel Cyprian, this is Commander Tattnall of the _Libran_. I was wondering how long it would be before our seven faststars were done with their modernization and overhaul," Tattnall said and waited patiently while Cyprian went over the details that had been requested.

"Thank you, Colonel, I'll let you get back to your work," Tattnall said before placing the phone back into its receiver.

"What's the verdict?" Windsor asked.

"We have five to eight months before the work will be finished on all seven of the faststars," Tattnall said to Windsor.

The work being done on the _Warrington_, _Gerhardt_, _Aspis_, _Kanaris_, _Sigourney_, and _Palaiologos _had already commenced.Like two of the other _Clemson_-class faststars selected for reactivation, the _Rathburne _and the _Cassin_, the _Ariadni_ was found to be in worse materiel condition than thought, so it necessitated the reactivation of yet another decommissioned faststar. A sister ship, the _Chatham_, was pulled from reserve and used instead. If all worked out then the twelve faststars would provide a ring of defense around the _Libran_ to protect it from most of what the Erebea could throw its way.

"There's no telling how much more fortified they can make the station," Windsor said as he moved the subject back to the intelligence reports, "It looks like a Cylon War era command station that the Erebea has somehow bought off the scrap market. It's been brought up to what we believe is maximum strength, meaning its armament has been put in place again and judging by what we've seen this is Colonial Fleet issue weaponry that's been added. It means that attacking the base is going to require the effort of every ship in our force. We can try to attack now. Commander but it is going to be costly, or we can wait until we have the ships and then use that time to plan a more detailed attack that should keep damage and casualties to a minimum."

Tattnall did not even have to think it over, "We wait and plot our attack. When we have the last of the faststars in our battle group we make the jump and carry out our attack."


	4. Chapter 4: Against All Enemies…

**Chapter Four: Against All Enemies…**

**Three Months Later: **

**Battlestar **_**Libran**_** (BS-19)**

**Commanding Officer's Quarters:**

It had finally happened; all twelve of the Clemson-class faststars had been brought back into active service, modernized, crewed, and assigned to his task force. Commander Nicholas Tattnall may not have been an admiral but he certainly felt like one, especially since the _Libran_ was the centerpiece of the taskforce assigned to tracking down the Erebea.

The phone on his desk began to ring. He had gone off-duty, Colonel Susan Minerva was standing watch in the CIC, and so he could not help but wonder just who was calling.

Picking up the receiver he said, "Commander Tattnall."

"You sound so formal when you say that," the voice on the other end said followed by a laugh.

Tattnall's lips curled into a smile, "Hey, little brother!"

Noah Tattnall applauded, "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten about your only brother."

"Of course not, our sisters would hurt me over that one," Tattnall said. He and Noah were the only two boys out of five children.

"Neil wanted to talk to you, but I'm afraid sleep got a hold of him before I got home from work," Noah said.

"Where's Brittany?" Tattnall asked. Brittany and Noah had been married for the past five years; some said it was a 'whirlwind' romance and resulted in her becoming pregnant almost immediately after they had married.

"She went out with some friends to go see _Noble Causes_ while it's still playing in theaters," Noah said before adding, "I have the house to myself and I'm watching the college pyramid game between Abry and the Fleet Academy."

"Go Abry!" Tattnall shouted.

"I knew you would say that. Nadia, Nadine, and Nadira said that you told them you wouldn't be home for another few months," Noah said referring to their three younger sisters, triplets, who lived on Caprica.

"That's the life of being a battlestar commander. I go where the Fleet orders me to go and stay out until I'm told to come home. I think we should be docking in about three months for an overhaul," Tattnall said.

"Do they really need a battlestar for a survey mission?" Noah said with a skeptical tone of voice.

"It's the _Libran_'s job to protect the research ships that are doing all sorts of scientific research out here near the Erebus Belt's far end. There is rumor the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance may be raiding ships out here. Because of that we were 'hired' by the Colonial Fleet to serve as an escort and do the various babysitting duties until this is over with."

"I suppose that's something that falls under the 'Important' category. Well the next time you're down on Caprica, let us know," Noah said.

"Will do, bro," Tattnall said as he set the receiver in its cradle to end the call.

The hatch to his office opened and he let out a frustrated sigh when he saw who it was. "Well to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"A pleasure to see you as always, Commander," Major Evan Windsor of the Ministry of Intelligence said as he walked up to Tattnall's desk.

"I'd say likewise but I know you have a reason for being here and it's not to make a social call."

Windsor looked hurt, "Commander Tattnall, that is a horrible stereotype, it happens to be true in my case, but still you have to realize that there is more to me as a person than just being with the MoI."

"Right, well in my experience most Ministry of Intelligence personnel are always trying to use a tactic to gain information or get a situation changed to their liking. Which is it in your case?" Tattnall sat back and waited to see what Windsor would say.

"I am starting to think that most people have watched one too many spy movies," Windsor said with an audible sigh.

"Windsor, I'm due in the war room soon for a briefing with Picon Fleet Headquarters so if you don't mind not wasting my time here," Tattnall said with more than a hint of impatience.

Windsor held up his hands in surrender, "All right, Commander, you win. I was curious as to how you planned to deploy your forces now that you have the twelve faststars at your disposal."

"I have some ideas that I'm developing," Tattnall said.

"Just what were those ideas?" Windsor asked.

Tattnall simply smiled, "None that I'm going to be at liberty to talk to you about right now."

"I see. Well, when you feel like sharing just let me know, the higher-ups in Gray like to be kept up to date on what's going on with this pet project of theirs," Windsor said before promptly turning to walk away.

**Aerilon: **

**Genesis Orbital Facility, Inactive Reserve: **

Battlestar _Gemenon_ (BS-18)

The hangar deck of the decommissioned battlestar _Gemenon_ was about as cluttered as a warehouse after the 'strip trips' to the various battlestars in the Inactive Reserve. The various trips had yielded a fortune of valuable items that would be useful in returning the _Gemenon_ to working order. For the purpose of the mission it had been assigned, it was important to give the impression that the Cylon War veteran had been fully refurbished.

Ministry of Intelligence Major Arthur Wallace was sorting through various boxes of supplies but they were not intended for use on the _Gemenon_. Their destination was there with him in Hangar Bay Four, two Mark One Vipers that he had discovered rusting away on Sagittaron. They stood out from the many Viper Mark Vs that had been brought upon the battlestar. The two Mark One Vipers were in the process of being restored, a hobby that Wallace had inherited from his time spent with Stryker over the years when the man was alive. It had often been commented that Wallace was an unofficial son to Stryker, an observation that Stryker never refuted if a person had asked about it. When he was done with them they would each find a home in the Stryker Museum on Aquaria and the other would go to the Stryker Memorial on Picon. They would be preserved, unlike the Mark Vs which were ultimately going to be destroyed.

Viper Mark Vs were notoriously problematic, and many of the pilots who flew them were not sad to see them phased out quickly in favor of the decidedly more reliable Viper Mark VIs. They were not going to fly however, like most things on the _Gemenon_ it was all about appearances.

When the mission had been approved to use a decommissioned battlestar to hunt the Erebea down and eliminate them permanently, there had been a thorough investigation of the remaining veterans of the Cylon War. The decision had been made to reactivate the _Gemenon_'s sister ship, the _Libran_, and the twelve _Clemson_-class faststars for the Erebea mission. However, there had been a second mission approved to help the _Libran_ without being on the frontlines.

The _Gemenon_ was not given a proper decommissioning, through either apathy or sheer ignorance on the part of the last crew, and the result was a battlestar that was far from the best materiel condition and seemed likely to see further service. It was Wallace's idea that gave the _Gemenon_ a purpose for one final mission and a chance to go out in a blaze of glory.

Wallace had posed as arms dealer William Savedge and made initial contact with Cinta Melati, the leader of the Erebea, about the group's interest in purchasing a decommissioned battlestar and a full air group. Melati was skeptical at first, but over time, Wallace had been more than able to gain her trust. When the time came to make the deal, well it would be the end of the _Gemenon_ and the Erebea in one fell swoop.

Until then it was a matter of putting in the appropriate amount of time to get the _Gemenon_ looking like a respectable battlestar and keeping Cinta Melati and the Erebea on the hook long enough to accomplish his mission. There was also the matter of prying eyes regarding the work being carried out. So far only interior work had been done, nothing on the exterior of the ship showed that it was being returned to a state of commission. If anyone had asked his team what was going on, the result was a comment about work being carried out in case the ship was put up for sale to a salvage company.

"Major Wallace, do you have a moment?" Lieutenant Victoria Bryant asked as she walked into the hangar bay.

Wallace stopped what he was doing and looked at her in an amused way, "Now Lieutenant

Bryant, how long have you been on the _Gemenon_?"

"Almost a week," she said as she moved a strand of her brown hair away from her eyes.

"I told you I don't run the _Gemenon_ like it were a ship in the military, we have some protocol keeping the MoI Directors back in Gray happy, but while we're here on the _Gemenon_ you can call me 'Arthur'."

"I'll work on it…Arthur. Captain Bond says you're needed in the war room."

"In that case, lead the way," Wallace said and motioned for Bryant to start walking.

**Battlestar **_**Gemenon**_**, War Room: **

The war room had been one of the first areas of the ship to be refurbished. It not only provided a way to keep track of the progress made on the refurbishment, but also provided a way to stay in contact with the MoI headquarters as well as a place to hold his formal conferences with Cinta Melati.

Standing in front of a group of display monitors was Captain Curtis Bond, Wallace's second-in-command on the _Gemenon_.

"What's going on, Curt?" Wallace asked when he and Bryant entered the room.

"Cinta Melati wants to have a word with you later on in the day. Director Torres sent a message saying that she expects a report from you via live conference at your earliest convenience. You know how she is," Bond said and tried to stifle a laugh when he saw the annoyed look come over Wallace's face.

"She has been against this project from the beginning," Wallace said and made no attempt to hide his irritation. Assistant Director Diana Torres had it known that she was going to follow Wallace and 'Project Siren' closely and would not hesitate to shut it down if there was even a hint of time and money being wasted. She had influence with the more senior directors such as Executive Director Joseph Shea, making her a formidable foe if the worst came to pass.

"That pencil-pushing bureaucrat is going to be the death of me!" Wallace declared as he fought the urge to slam his fist into the wall. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to show her that everything was going according to plan and no money had been wasted or used for purposes other than the mission. It felt as though she wanted 'Operation Siren' to fail.

**Tauron City, Tauron: **

It was always a great feeling to be home on Tauron. No matter where her travels required her to go, the thought of being back home on her native colony gave Cinta Melati a sense of exhilaration. It would be a welcome relief if the days of Tauron purity could return. It was something that she had heard about on Scorpia with the New Green Army. That group advocated that Scorpia should be for those native to the colony and none others. Perhaps when the Erebea became strong enough they could do something similar for Tauron. Not only would they ensure their colony's independence, but they would also be seen as liberators instead of traitors to the regime in Caprica City.

She strolled along the various shops in the Gyarmati District and took in the bustle of city life around her. Eventually she would return to space and begin the next phase of her operation but for now, she was simply content to be a private citizen. Not that she could truly be a carefree person down here, keeping a short distance away were the four members of the Erebea who served as her protective detail. They swore a sacred Tauron oath to protect her and if necessary, they would return to the soil so that she could live.

Her and her entourage made their way to the edge of the commercial district to where she was staying during her brief trip to Tauron. The Vicar Hotel had once been a possession of her family's before their fortunes were lost in the aftermath of the adoptions of the Articles of Colonization. She remembered her parents telling her stories of the lavish parties that had been thrown in the Ania Lounge on the top floor and other social events that the hotel had hosted.

There was more than one purpose to staying the hotel, apart from the nostalgia, and she always kept those reasons fresh in her mind. The hotel had been cared for by the Aram family and they had kept it in remarkable shape, leaving it as a place where those with the cubits could afford to spend time in the luxury the hotel provided.

The Vicar had a restaurant and a bar on the ground floor. The restaurant was now called the Avedis Restaurant. On the opposite side of the ground floor was the bar that was still known as the Jirair Tavern. It was at this tavern when she first met William Savedge and he managed to convince her that he could use his various means to provide her and the Erebea with a battlestar and an air wing that they could use in their fight against the government of the Colonies.

Her mobile phone began to ring. She promptly fished it out of her pocket and checked the caller id before answering, "Hello."

"Hello Cinta," Arthur Wallace said, even though as far as Cinta Melati was concerned she was talking to arms dealer 'William Savedge'.

'There's something different about his voice," Melati thought, as though there was something he needed to tell her but was worried about doing so, "Hello William, what can I do for you?"

"I thought you would like to hear some good news, I know it is going to bring a smile to your face."

"Why is that?" she asked, her voice was even as she let the arms dealer explain to her just what was going on.

"The mechanical tech I hired for our job has assured me that he has fixed the problem with your recreational vehicles," Wallace said. The Viper Mark Vs that were included as part of the deal for the decommissioned Gemenon were referred to as 'recreational vehicles' whenever the two would talk on the phone. It was mainly done to keep the Colonial authorities from eavesdropping on the phone call and hearing what was really happening. That would complicate the delicate operation that the Ministry of Intelligence was conducting.

"You know I had done some research and I was told those problems were impossible to fix," Melati said as she allowed her lips to form a smile. The Mark Vs did not last long as a frontline Viper because the mechanical issues were so prominent in them, having them fixed gave the Erebea a potent weapon that could be used.

"That's the thing about experts. For the right price they can be highly motivated to perform the impossible, I pay much better than the government sector."

"I'm glad to see that you can make people earn their cubits when you give them a job."

"I make it clear that I do not tolerate failure, and that failing me does carry unfortunate consequences…and by that I don't mean they simply get fired."

"I think that's what I like about you Mr. Savedge; we both have similar ways of demonstrating leadership."

"Indeed we do. I have more work to do here so I will talk to you later," Wallace said. He wanted to keep his conversation with her to a minimum, no reason to have a thirty minute conversation when five or so would easily suffice.

"Yes we shall have to have another meeting here on Tauron. I know you prefer Aquaria, but Tauron has more charm if you ask me."

"That's because you're biased and think nothing can compare to Tauron," Wallace said before saying goodbye to her and ending the phone call.

Melati put the phone away and turned to the head of her security detail, "Ragno and Usai, I want you to go in there and check for any possible trouble."

"We'll be back soon," Antonio Usai said as he and Carmine Ragno entered the Vicar Hotel to check the ground floor restaurant and bar.

Quietly her other two bodyguards, Rino Romani and Mario Ioannas, moved closer to her so that if trouble came her way they would be there to intercept it without the possibility of her being seriously harmed.

**The Next Day:**

Tattnall had assembled the small group in the War Room of the _Libran_. He had thought it over and realized that the best he could hope to do would be to devise a plan to use the number of faststars he had at his disposal and had put together a plan that would serve to drive the Erebea to the destination he wanted.

The plan was simple, he would allow the faststar group Colonel Aileen Baines commanded and use it to serve as a hit and run force that would force the Erebea to retreat to the coordinates he desired. Push them back far enough and the _Libran_ and its six faststars could easily come in and finish the group off permanently.

He would wait until the next day or so to put his plan into action, but it would have the desired of effect of putting the Erebea into what was essentially a two front war. He could use it to his advantage; not only would it help to drive the Erebea to where he wanted it to go, it would also keep the leadership off balance guessing where the main task force was at and when it would strike.

**Picon: **

**Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters, City of Gray: **

The top floor of the Taria Building, the main building of the Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters complex held the offices reserved for the Director and Executive Director of the Ministry of Intelligence. At this time, Director Adrian Schwtizer was on Caprica to give President Richard Adar a briefing on the recent activity of the Eastern Alliance. That left Executive Director Joseph Shea in charge of running the MoI.

Arthur Wallace walked into the main rotunda of the building and made his way to the escalator that would lead to the upper part of the ground floor where the elevators were located. He turned his head and saw the wall with the stars attached representing the fallen MoI agents and officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. He saw the twenty-sixth star and knew for whom it was to be in place; his mentor who had trained him in everything he knew as a MoI officer…Galit Malka.

He could not let sentimentality get in the way of what he was going to here, or even his overall reason for joining the MoI to begin with. Right now, there was an overzealous Deputy Director who was getting in his way. The elevator ride up to the top floor he made sure his hand firmly clutched the large folder he had carried with him. Wallace had a secret weapon with him and he was hoping he would not have to use it but his hand had been forced.

He entered the lobby for Shea's office and there at the reception desk was a young woman wearing a professional business suit. The nameplate on her desk read Leticia Fleming.

"Ms. Fleming, is Director Shea in his office?" Wallace asked as he made his way to the desk.

"Yes he is but he's in a meeting," Fleming said in a bored voice.

"Thank you," Wallace said as he strode past her and headed for the doors that led to the office."

"You can't go in there," Fleming said with more than a hint of annoyance.

"Go back to doing your nails," Wallace said as he pushed the doors open and entered the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Director Shea, I hate to barge in on you but there's an urgent matter," Wallace said as he walked to a nearby chair and took a seat.

"Deputy Director Gabrielle Cobb, this is Major Arthur Wallace," Shea said as he motioned toward where Wallace sat.

"Hello, Director Cobb, would you leave now so I can discuss something with our Executive Director?"

Cobb and Shea exchanged a look and finally Shea nodded and she left the room.

When the door was closed, Shea fixed Wallace with an appraising look, "You have the stones of a Tauron coming in here like this."

"Thank you for the compliment. Now I have a problem with Deputy Director Diana Torres regarding Operation Siren. She is determined to make sure this project does not succeed. I need you to get her off my back so I can do my job."

"Interesting, I have to admit the idea of you thinking you can tell me what to do is kind of funny."

"Do you think it might be as funny as Division 731?"

"What?"

"You know that little group that the late John Bledsoe was involved with. A hidden facility built in Phaon during the Cylon War on Virgon; I'm telling you some of those experiments were just brutal."

"How do you even know about that?"

Wallace smiled, "I had a reliable source give me the information. I know this all happened a little over forty-seven years ago but it would probably embarrass the Ministry of Intelligence to have this made public. Now I am willing to look the other way if you can make my job easier. Director Torres is breathing down my neck and it's becoming harder to prep the _Gemenon_ for Operation Siren."

"So if I make your problem go away then you'll make sure the Ministry doesn't get embarrassed?"

"Correct, I'm willing to make a deal."

Shea was silent as he thought it over, "You have a deal, Wallace, I'll make sure Director Torres doesn't bother you anymore."

"See, I'm starting to believe you are as smart as everyone says you think you are," Wallace said as he quickly got up and left the office leaving behind an infuriated Director Shea.

**Battlestar **_**Gemenon**_**, War Room:**

"Mr. Savedge, you're late," James Thorn, the top lieutenant of Cinta Melati, said once the connection had been established.

"My apologies, I had some business on Picon come up that had to be dealt with," Wallace said. He was fortunate that in the time since he started Operation Siren he had managed to keep his cover identity of William Savedge, weapons trader, from being blown.

"Interesting, what type of business?" Thorn asked.

"Something involving a woman who was giving me trouble, let's just say I managed to shut her up," Wallace said, not a lie but merely telling a different version of the truth.

"Have you made progress on the Viper Mark Vs you promised to deliver us with the _Gemenon_?"

"I have my best people working on it. I think, if given a little more time, they'll have them working as good as new."

"You are a man who seems to be delivering on his promises; this could be very good for your future, Mr. Savedge."

"I like making sure that my future is bright; it just feels so right when compared to the alternative."

"Indeed, Ms. Melati has informed me that she wants you to meet her on Tauron tomorrow. I'll transmit you the address where the meeting will take place."

"You realize you didn't give me the chance to back out of it."

"That's because it's not an option," Thorn said and an instant later, the screen went dead.

"I get the feeling he doesn't like you," Bond said once the meeting was over.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to get invited to any of the events on his social calendar," Wallace said with a laugh before adding, "I'm going to my quarters, it looks like tomorrow you get to take over while I go to Tauron."

A nearby printer came to life and quickly printed a sheet of paper. Wallace took it and read it to himself. He was going to meet Cinta Melati in Tauron City at the Vicar Hotel.

'Only the best for you Cinta,' Wallace thought to himself as he put the note in his pocket and left the room.

When he got to his quarters, he immediately went over to his personal computer and inputted the number of the woman he wanted to talk with. He waited and finally he heard the familiar voice.

"Hey, Arthur, do you realize what time it is?" Whitney Thompson, Wallace's fiancée, said groggily.

"Didn't think you'd be asleep this time, the clock hasn't even struck midnight yet."

"It's been a long day, Windsor has had us analyzing every last bit of video we got from the recon mission a while back. If I have to look at one more Cylon War era vessel I may lose my mind!"

"You do realize you're on a Cylon War era vessel right now?" Wallace asked as he tried to stifle a laugh.

"Present surroundings are exempt of course," Thompson said with a tired smile.

"Windbag is running you and the team ragged over there, it shows."

"You do realize that if he ever hears you call him that it's going to start a fight."

"I don't mind that. I think, since I was the one who got my part of Operation Siren accepted, he's been looking for a reason to have it out with me."

"Save it for after the Erebea has been taken care of first. By the way, my parents sent me a letter. It seems they want you and I to join them for a camping retreat on Caprica when we get some free time."

"As long as we can share the same tent I'm fine with that."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Thompson before adding, "You look tense, need me to come over and rub your shoulders?"

"That sounds like something I could use. Director Torres was giving me hell on this project and I had to go make sure she left me alone."

"How'd you do that?"

"Used a secret weapon of mine, it's not that I don't love you but the less you know about it the better."

"It's probably best. I have enough trouble keeping Windsor from interrogating me about what you may or may not be doing."

"You seem to be holding your own there, not that I'd expect anything less."

"Get some sleep, Whit, let me know when you're free and we'll have a longer talk."

"If I can tear you away from your ship long enough," she teased.

"I'll make time for you," he said and then he closed the connection.

Wallace stood up, walked over to where his bed was, and promptly laid down on it. He reached for the headboard and pulled down what looked like an old book. Its brown leather looked worn and its pages showed some of the signs of age. What he held in his hands was considered both a myth and a treasure if a military historian ever got his or her hands on it. The owner of the book had given it to him and Wallace was told to keep it a secret. He had kept his word, and reading it he got a sense of what it must have been like during those years of the Cylon War.

He ran his fingers of the embossed gold lettering on the front of the book, _Chronicles of Jonas Stryker_. It was by reading the book he had discovered the various deeds of Section 731 as well as other assorted secrets that Stryker had discovered during his years of Admiral of the Fleet during the Cylon War. It also contained information that only Stryker and a few others knew.

_**Libran**_**, CIC: **

"Commander, we're receiving a distress signal from the Naylor System," Lieutenant James Ward announced.

"Patch it through," Tattnall said.

"This is Virgon Convoy 1043 en route to Caprica, we are under attack by an unknown enemy near the planet Felucia in the Naylor System," the panicked voice of a woman said over the speakers.

"Mr. Freyburg, I want you to get me the information that transport," Tattnall ordered.

"Virgon Convoy1043 consists of the freighters _Kromeus, Ustraro, Elaria, Kreo, Tarsus, Camus_, and _Zenius_," Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg, the _Libran_'s Tactical Officer, reported.

"Plot us a jump there and set the ship to Condition One, I want Viper Squadron One in the tubes ready to launch the moment we enter the system and have Raptor Squadron One brought up to the deck of the flight pods so they can take off. Have Squadrons Two and Three on standby in case we run into heavier resistance than anticipated. Mr. Ward, I want you to send word to the faststars to prepare to jump with us and be ready to engage enemy forces," Tattnall said and moments later came the call to Action Stations.

"What do you think we'll find there," Colonel Susan Minerva, Tattnall's XO asked.

"My gut tells me it's the Erebea but for all we know it could be the Eastern Alliance," Tattnall said.

"Action Stations, Action Stations, set Condition One throughout the ship," Freyburg announced, sending the crew running to their stations throughout the ship.

Tattnall looked and saw that Ward was already alerting Major Alexander 'Ironhead' Mason, the CAG of the Libran and the officer in charge of Libran's Viper Squadron One, and Captain Peter 'Tracker' Slade of Raptor Squadron One.

"What's going on, Commander?" Windsor asked when he came into the CIC.

"We have a Virgon convoy that's under attack by an unknown enemy. We're jumping in to intercept."

"Glad to hear it," Windsor said. When he saw the stunned looks he added, "I know it sounds strange for me to agree with you, but it could be the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance. Either way it's a group that's been put on our list to attack."

'This is a strange day,' Tattnall thought to himself.

"Commander, the ship and the faststars are ready to jump," Freyburg announced.

"Very well, begin jump," Tattnall said and an instant later the_ Libran_ and the faststars had jumped away to the Naylor System.

**Naylor System, planet Felucia: **

The ships that made up the Virgon convoy had scattered by now, trying to evade the fire from the enemy vessels. The ships seemed less intent on destroying them and more focused on trying to disable their engines.

In a flash, the _Libran_ and the twelve faststars had jumped in range of the planet. Vipers launched from the _Libran_ while the faststars began targeting the enemy ships with their guns.

In the CIC Tattnall, Minerva, and Windsor watched the DRADIS display to see if their actions were having an effect.

"Looks like the ships have taken notice of us," Minerva said.

"Probably because we're scoring more hits than misses on them," Tattnall said.

"Do you think they'll be able to hurt us?" Windsor asked.

"Depends on what types of weapons those ships have on them," Tattnall said as he saw the distance between the convoy ships and the enemy vessels begin to widen.

"Commander, we are looking at six _Preston_ class patrol frigates," Freyburg announced.

"Those were pulled from service about two years ago if I recall," Minerva said.

"Those against us should make for an easy fight," Windsor said.

"Commander, the ships are coming our way…sir they've launched a barrage of Tiger-Cat missiles at us!" Freyburg exclaimed.

"Helm, evasive maneuvers," Tattnall called out.

"Evasive maneuvers, aye," Petty Officer Kerri Carrillo said as she began to try to turn the _Libran_ out of the way of the missiles.

"This sounds like something you're concerned about," Windsor said to Tattnall.

"The Tiger-Cat missiles were part of a weapons project, they were supposed to have been destroyed when the project was discontinued. They pack a punch and we'll just leave it at that," Tattnall said as he watched the missiles come closer on the DRADIS display.

"The _Gerhardt_ has taken a direct hit and are reporting severe damage and fires breaking out over the ship. Commander Socorro requests permission to withdraw," Freyburg reported.

"Tell him that he has my permission to withdraw for repairs," Tattnall said before turning his attention to Windsor, "Those missiles are designed to inflict a great amount of damage with only one hit. The explosive compound in them is powerful but also incredibly unstable."

The _Libran_ began shaking as rounds from the frigates began to find their mark on the battlestar.

"Have the gun crews target those ships and begin firing," Tattnall ordered.

"Mr. Ward, tell the convoy that we'll buy them time to jump away," Tattnall said.

"Sending the message now," Lieutenant James Ward said.

"The _Palaiologos__, Robert Smith, __Clemson, Asturias, Velos_, and _Psara _have taken up defensive positions and are using their flak guns to help put up more of a defensive screen. Also, our Vipers have launched and are closing in on the frigates."

"Send word to Major Mason that his pilots have my authorization to go Weapons Free and to engage the enemy," Tattnall said and Ward acknowledged it.

**Viper 4932 (Pilot Major Alexander Mason, Call Sign: Ironhead):**

"Ironhead, this is _Libran_, the CO has given you permission to engage the enemy. You are clear to go Weapons Free."

"Copy that _Libran_, we are going in," Major Alexander 'Ironhead' Mason said before turning his attention to the air wing flying with him, "All right, we have the ok from the CO to take care of the pirates, go Weapons Free and good hunting."

His Viper, along with the others that comprised the _Libran_'s air wing, hurtled towards the six patrol frigates that were crewed by the Erebea. Already the Clemson class faststars were feeling the sting of the missiles that the ships had launched and appeared to be trying to withdraw from the battlefield.

He came up on the lead ship and immediately launched his missiles at it, scoring a hit along the midsection of the top of the ship. He had to do some careful dodging as the ships began firing their flak batteries to try to keep him and his pilots away from them.

"All right, nothing too fancy here…get your hits in and avoid getting shot. They have flak batteries and they're not afraid to use them," Mason said as he pivoted his Viper around to try to make another run at the ships.

The shells of the _Libran_ were getting closer than they had originally, one of which hit the ship on the left flank of the group and its guns went silent.

Mason saw the flashes out of the periphery of his vision, the convoy ships were starting to jump away. At least they had given the civilian ships time to escape. He began to prepare to launch more of his missiles at the frigates when one by one they all jumped away. A part of him was glad to see it happen but another part of him wanted to get one last hit in against the enemy.

"That's it, great work everyone…let's go home," he said and he looked and was horrified to see the missiles that had escaped the flak screen hit home not only on the _Libran_ but also the _Robert Smith, Clemson, and Asturias._

Columns of flame erupted on the ships as the missiles found their mark, with _Libran_ taking most of the hits.

Mason realized that more than likely him and his squadron would be unable to land on their ship for the time being, it was an issue that did not bother him. The Vipers and Raptors had more than enough fuel to fly for some time.

"_Libran_, this is Ironhead do you copy?"

There was a burst of static over the wireless and then nothing.

(Author's Note: Allen Knott had given me permission to use his character of Arthur Wallace from his 'Battlestar Leonidas' series in both this story and my 'Survival of the Stryker' story. I had forgotten to mention this, and wanted to correct the oversight.)


	5. Chapter 5: A Soldier's Lot

**Chapter Five: A Soldier's Lot**

**One Week Later:**

**Gray, Picon; Ministry of Intelligence Complex, Tamara Bruce Medical Center:**

Major Arthur Wallace strode through the corridors of the medical center with a single purpose. He had placed his activities on the _Gemenon_ on hold and assigned his top lieutenant, Curtis Bond, in his place so he could tend to a matter that, as far as he was concerned, took precedence over the Erebea mission.

His eyes scanned the various doors until he found hospital room 353.

He had been here many times over the past week since he had received the news.

He pushed open the door and saw the figure lying in the hospital bed.

She was sleeping; the pain meds that had been given to her must have done their work well.

Whitney Thompson had been injured along with a majority of the crew of the _Robert Smith._

Wallace had read the report from Colonel Arleen Baines and he gained a new respect for the crewmembers of the faststar.

It seemed Baines' damage control drills had paid off and actually managed to save the ship.

Otherwise, it was doubtful his fiancée would have made it out alive.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice Thompson begin to stir and weakly say, "Hey."

"I see they're giving you the good stuff," Wallace said through an almost choked and tender voice as he looked at the bag of medicine that was connected to her IV.

Wallace then walked over and kissed her ever so gently on the forehead.

"It's helping; did you remember that my parents want to meet you?"

"I remember, wasn't too sure just how well that was going to work."

"Once I'm out of here I want to go on that camping trip they were talking about."

"Alone with your parents and your siblings on a trip into the Picon forests. Mind if I bring backup?"

"I don't mind, especially if it will get you to stop being so evasive about meeting my family."

"You get some rest and I'll make a couple of calls. I'll be back when I finish some paperwork in my office," Wallace said and then he leaned over and kissed her again before leaving the room.

When he got outside of the building, he fished out his mobile phone and made a call to David Robinson. He was going to need the Robinson brothers if he was going to go into the wilds of Picon with the Thompson family.

**Caprica City, Sosa's Tavern:**

Seated in one of the private rooms in the back of Sosa's Tavern was a group of pilots from the _Libran_'s Viper Squadron One.

Along with Major Alexander 'Ironhead' Mason was Chase 'Griff' Griffin , Adrian 'Whiplash' Henry, Alfred 'Matchbox' Chambers, Craig 'Fireball' Singleton, Dane 'Bobcat' Odom, Latisha 'Raven' Miles, and Graciela 'Tempest' Vinson.

They had hoped to hear something from the scuttlebutt involving their ship but nothing of any substance had materialized yet.

The door to the room opened and the group turned to see Colonel Susan Minerva, the Executive Officer of their ship, enter the room and close the door behind her.

"Colonel Minerva," Mason said as he raised a glass in salute.

It was then that he saw another of the _Libran_'s pilots walk in behind her, Lieutenant John 'Tornado' Bruin of Raptor Squadron One.

"Hello, Major," Minerva said as she walked up to the table where the pilots were sitting.

"Have a seat with us; you're a pilot so you qualify," Mason said as he motioned for Henry and Miles to make room for the XO.

"Good to see you, CAG," Bruin said as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"You too, Tornado," Mason said before adding, "Let's create some room for the XO and our Raptor Wrangler."

"Is there any word yet on where we're heading?" Miles asked.

"There are rumors circling that we are headed to Tifton, Fort Gaines, Lavonia, and other places where we have former military installations," Minerva said pausing to examine the effect her words would have.

"Sounds like they want to pick the most remote location to send us to," Bruin commented.

"We're technically in a war with the Erebea. A war of silence is still a war and I'm sure the Admiralty doesn't want word to get out about that. If the Erebea knew we were after them it would not go well for us," Minerva said.

"You know, Colonel, scuttlebutt says this isn't your first time taking part in a mission like this," Henry said.

Minerva's eyebrows went up, "In that case, just what have you heard?"

"Word is that you were involved with that mission three years ago. You know the one where Aperlae rescued President Adar's sister and niece."

"Someone really likes to talk. OK, here's the story behind that, and it does not leave this table. I was originally scheduled to pilot the shuttle that boarded the SLA base where Rachael and Renee Adar were being held prisoner. At the time, I was the CAG of the Battlestar _Vanguard_. To make a long story short, I came down with appendicitis and they had to scrub me from the mission."

"Do you wish you had gone on the mission? Aperlae and her team got all of those awards and the pick of any posting in the fleet," Odom said.

Minerva shrugged her shoulders, "Things happen for a reason. I'm not bitter about it and I am fine with serving as the _Libran_'s XO."

It was her CO, then-Commander Scott Tolan, who had given her the basics of the story to tell.

She was not lying about what had happened. She was supposed to be piloting the transport shuttle to the base where the Sagitarron Liberation Army had set up their headquarters.

She had come down with appendicitis and had to be scrubbed from the mission, her replacement being then-Major Artimus Bowman from the Battlestar _Valkyrie_.

Tolan had informed her that it would be best if she make it sound as though she was supposed to be with Aperlae's team.

The whole thing was some sort of deal he had worked out this Admiral Peter Corman.

"What are you going to do while we're out of commission?" Mason asked.

"My husband wants to go visit Tybee Island on Caprica so we may try to do that with our kids. Really, it depends on what we hear from Fleet Headquarters," Minerva said.

"I couldn't think of anything better than relaxing on the beach right about now. As long as I don't have to go up to Fort Milledge, again I'll be happy," Bruin added.

"That's right; you were sent there when we first went to Caprica. Was it as cold there as everyone says it is?" Griffin asked.

Bruin took a drink from his glass and said, "I honestly believe the rumors don't do justice to just how cold that place is. I wondered if the guards felt every blast of cold air down to their bones. I just have a hard time imagining all of that protective gear doing so well against a bitter cold like that.

"Enough talk about this depressing stuff. As your XO, I order you to change the subject to something a little more cheerful," Minerva said and was relieved that the comment drew a round of laughter from the pilots at the table.

**Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters, Major Arthur Wallace's Office:**

Wallace had an office in the main building of the Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters though he only used it for moments such as these when he had to conduct 'official' MoI business.

In this case, there had been a person recommended for his _Gemenon_ team and he was here to make sure this was actually a good move.

Despite throwing himself back into his work like a good soldier should his thoughts seemed to linger on Whitney and how the battle she had been in had shaken her.

He was certain this was her first brush with near death; if only he could get her to open up about it then maybe he could be more helpful to her mental recovery. He knew that post-traumatic stress had a way of tumbling inside the mind of its victims unless they could be opened up and release what was trapped inside.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

He turned to see a woman standing there as though she was waiting for his permission to enter the room.

She was tall, maybe not six feet tall but close, and her hazel eyes seemed to make an instant appraisal of him.

Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and seemed to accentuate her facial features.

"Please come in," Wallace said and motioned for her to take the seat in front of his desk.

"Thank you, Major Wallace," she said.

"I'd rather be called 'Arthur' if it's all the same."

"Very well then, Arthur, I'm Lieutenant Shaylyn Rexana. I've been assigned to your team as a weapons and explosives expert."

"You're sure about that. I mean no offense, but you don't strike me as a weapons and explosives kind of person."

"I graduated from Abry Military and entered the Colonial Army I worked in the ordnance division at Fort Neyland in Hades."

"Been to Canceron and survived on the home turf of the Basileus, now that impresses me for many reasons."

"I was trained in weapons and explosives by a former Army officer who was hired by the MoI."

"Indulge me then, who was this person?"

"Duke Lorentson."

Wallace paused for a moment; he had heard of Duke Lorentson. The former Army officer was known as a genius with explosives. It had been said that there was no bomb or explosive device he could not find a way to disarm. When he had been sent back into civilian life the Ministry of Intelligence swooped in with an offer he could not refuse. Currently, he was serving on the Faststar _Eurylade_ with none other than Galit Malka.

"Lorentson is an impressive mentor to have. If you were trained by Lorentson then that alone should be good enough to get you any posting in the MoI. Why did you ask to be assigned to my team?"

"You're going after the Erebea and I have a score to settle with them," she said.

There were rules about snooping through high-level communications between the departments of the MoI but that had not stopped him from finding out about the people who were scheduled to be assigned to his team. Because of the rules in place, it was something he could never admit to anyone. The more he read about his new explosives expert the more he began to understand why she would be so adamant about joining his team. Shaylyn Rexana had been engaged to Ethan Todd, a member of the Caprica City Police Department. An Erebea assault team had killed Todd four years ago when the passenger ship he was on, the _Covington_, was boarded during a supply raid. It was something he had read that would put him in trouble if he ever admitted to it.

"Alright, Shaylyn, I want you to get on the next transport to the Genesis Orbital Facility above Aerilon. Welcome to the team," Wallace said as he stood up and offered Rexana a handshake. After she left, he sat down in his chair and poured a glass of water. His team was strong, and with this addition, it had become even stronger.

**Lampetia, Leonis**

**Valdemar Fleet Air Station:**

Commander Nicholas Tattnall pulled his car up to the guest parking slot in front of the Administration Building and put the authorization tag on the rear-view mirror.

Without it, he would have a large amount of cubits to pay in fines and towing fees.

He had been away from the _Libran_ for a week and in a way, he felt as though he were away from home.

He had managed to 'catch the bug' when he took command of the battlestar, and knowing it was docked at Lampetia Shipyard in the care of someone else for repairs caused him more than a bit of unease.

He entered the building and took note of the map of the different floors.

He would be needed on the fourth floor in Meeting Room C.

What awaited him there he was unsure of but he figured there would be little for him to worry about.

"Commander Tattnall, I see you're here early," a familiar voice said from behind.

"Admiral Jennings, it's been some time," Tattnall said, after saluting.

Rear Admiral John Jennings was the flag officer of BSG-87, and had been Tattnall's CO when he served on the battlestar _Romulus_.

"Admiral Benson asked that I join you for this little meeting," Jennings said.

"Glad to have you here, how's Jessica?"

"She's doing well at the Fleet Academy, wouldn't surprise me if she ends up near the top of her class."

Seated at the head of the oval shaped table was Admiral William Benson, the flag officer in charge of all Colonial Fleet operations for Leonis.

"Commander, if you would sit, we can get started," Benson said.

He was a man with a large frame that gave him an imposing look.

Both Tattnall and Jennings took their seats and waited for Benson to speak.

"To begin, one of the first things we did was to have our intelligence officers go over the footage from the cameras on the Vipers. It confirms that you did, in fact, engage the Erebea. The questions after that are how did they manage to get their hands on our decommissioned vessels and how did they manage to get experimental weaponry."

"I've sent patrols out into that area and my battlestars have not encountered any signs of the Erebea in any of the outlying areas of that system," Jennings added.

"The survey on the damaged ships has been completed," Benson said, "The _Libran_ is going to be out for a period of four to five months so proper repairs can be made. Just between us, I'd say that your battlestar is a tough ship."

"I take that as a compliment, sir," Tattnall said.

In truth, the _Libran_ had grown on him since he had taken command.

Most would never know the reason the ship was brought back into service but that was something he could deal with.

Now that he was away, he felt as though he was leaving his home for an extended vacation.

"Lampetia's supervisor has also informed me that there will be several modifications made to the _Libran_ while it is being repaired. Nothing too serious, just more work done to bring the old girl back up to current Colonial Fleet specifications," Benson said.

"Very good, Admiral; is there anything else?"

"One last thing," Benson said as he shuffled through some papers, "Normally the air group would be disbursed among the battlestars in the Fleet. In this case they are to be sent to Tift Air Station until the _Libran_ is ready for deployment."

"They're going to Tift, as in the city of Tifton on the southern-most continent of Caprica?" Tattnall asked.

"That's correct. As you know, Tift was closed during the latest round of budget cuts but we worked out a deal. It is to be reopened and will serve as the home of your air group and crew for the time being. The last thing we need is for word to get out as to what the _Libran_ was actually up to," Benson said.

"You have to realize that the crew will not be happy about this. Will they get to leave and spend time with their families?" Tattnall asked.

Jennings spoke up, "I'm sure you can understand the security issues surrounding this. You and your crew were selected to go on a mission with the highest security clearance. It might be best for them to be confined to Tift just out of concern for what they might say."

"You are going to treat us like we're criminals?"

"The officers will be allowed to leave to visit friends and family but the enlisted will not have that."

"When word gets out there'll be a riot and you know it. It'll be something the officers and NCOs will not be able to control. Perhaps we can find a way around this," Tattnall offered.

"I'm listening," Benson said.

"We do groups of officers and enlisted. I'm sure the Admiralty can find some way to explain the turn of events. You can even get the MoI or Colonial Military Intelligence to come up with some story."

"I will talk to Admiral Corman later today about it. Maybe we can come up something but no promises."

"Thank you, sir."

After being dismissed from the meeting, Tattnall boarded the nearest elevator and took it down to the bottom floor.

"How'd the meeting go?" a man said as he walked up beside Tattnall.

Tattnall turned to see Ministry of Intelligence Major Evan Windsor.

The intelligence officer was impeccably dressed in a black business suit and looked like he had stepped off some magazine cover.

The contrast between Windsor's suit and his own blue duty uniform was obvious.

"Hello, Windsor, I didn't think you'd be here for this meeting," Tattnall said as he mentally wished there was a way to make the man disappear.

"I'm here on orders from Gray. I would have been there in person but it seems Admiral Benson misplaced my royal invitation to come and attend."

"It was a Colonial Fleet matter and therefore not something that concerns the MoI."

"Commander Tattnall, you should know by now that everything is the business of the MoI even fleet matters. It's simply a part of the job we have for keeping the Colonies safe from harm. The price of peace is eternal vigilance."

"With you there standing guard I feel safer already," Tattnall said with a reassuring pat on Windsor's shoulder.

"Besides, I refuse to let those jackasses in the CMI have a chance to steal this little project from the MoI," Windsor said. Colonial Military Intelligence, CMI for short, was the military equivalent of the Ministry of Intelligence.

They would have more power during a time of war, but since the end of the Cylon War, they had been relegated to more mundane tasks.

However, Windsor's nemesis, Major Arthur Wallace had managed to smooth over some of the hurt feelings.

In Windsor's opinion, this was simply not a good idea.

Unfortunately for him, the higher ups in the Ministry of Intelligence did consider it a good idea and that meant that Wallace was allowed to continue.

"Are they really that bad, I thought your people had the monopoly on that," Tattnall teased.

"Commander, if I told you what we had going on…well you should know how that sentence ends."

"I do indeed know how that ends. What are you going to do with the downtime?"

"I think I may go back home to Virgon and spend time with my friends and family in Boskirk."

Tattnall looked stunned. "You're telling me you have friends. Wow. Does your family know what you do for a living?"

"My family believes I'm a traveling insurance salesman. No need to let them in on what I really do. What are you planning on using your free time for?"

Tattnall thought about it, "Probably go visit my family on Caprica and then go to my place on Picon for some alone time in the woods hunting and fishing."

"I should have known you were a guy who enjoyed being in the woods. Though I have no idea why," Windsor commented.

"Because I spend all of my time at work in a pressurized hull flying through space. When I'm not working the idea of spending time in the outdoors just appeals to me."

"You and I have different ideas of what qualifies as 'fun' Commander," Windsor said.

"I think you and I have a lot of different ideas about things Windsor," Tattnall shot back.

"My people are going with you to Tifton, by the way," Windsor said.

"I just heard about this piece of information. How did you - never mind that statement. Why will they be there?"

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to shoot you," Windsor said and saw the look on Tattnall's face was anything but amused, "I don't get it; the one time I make a spy joke and you look ready to kill me."

"The difference is when you say it I don't know if it's really a joke or not. To go back to my question, why will they be there with my crew?"

"They are going to analyze the data we have gathered so far, and doing it in Tifton will lessen the interest it might receive if it were done back at Headquarters."

"Will you be joining them?"

Windsor shook his head, "No, Leonard Harmon will be in charge of the group. I'm being assigned to another operation once I visit my family. I'd tell you what it involves but it's something unrelated to the _Libran_'s mission."

"I have a reason to smile at least."

"Why is that?"

"I won't have to deal with you during my time in Tifton," Tattnall said as he turned a corner and walked away leaving Windsor shaking his head at having taken the bait that led to the comment.

**Sago Station:**

Cinta Melati sat at the desk in her office that was adjacent to the quarters she called home whenever she was away from Tauron.

The incident that had taken place in the Naylor Sector was a headache she would have preferred not to happen and like so many such days previously it lingered like a shadow as a constant reminder to her.

The door to the office opened and in stepped James Thorn, her top lieutenant, with a look of concern on his face.

"Lay it on me, Thorn, you know I love hearing bad news," she said with a rueful smile.

"It's about Savedge," Thorn said.

William Savedge, the cover identity of Ministry of Intelligence officer Arthur Wallace, was an arms dealer who was promising to procure a decommissioned battlestar for the Erebea.

"What about him?" she asked, a part of her mind tried to say that it would not be something serious.

"It appears he was arrested by the Colonial Military and is being held in a secure location," he said.

"Where is the location?" she asked.

"Unknown, but we believe it to be either a secure MoI facility or Fort Milledge on Caprica," he said as he waited for her reaction.

"That's not a good sign," she said.

Fort Milledge was on the Isle of Brenna in the Issus Ocean on Caprica.

It was located in the frigid northern hemisphere of the planet and was virtually escape proof.

"No it is not, but may I suggest we deal with the other matter before we decide how to proceed with Mr. Savedge."

Melati nodded. "Right, bring him in."

Thorn put his head out of the door and muttered something to whoever was outside. A moment later, the door opened completely and in walked a handcuffed man escorted by two guards.

Melati had been waiting for this moment and had pondered what to do with Aurelio Castaneda.

He had been in command of the raider group that had attacked the supply convoy, the one where he had ordered his ships to fire the Tiger-Cat missiles at the Colonial battle group that had responded to the convoy's distress call.

The problem was that there was a standing order to avoid confronting the Colonial Fleet.

The Erebea were still a serious threat to poorly armed security vessels but if the Colonial Fleet threw the bulk of its forces against them, they would be overwhelmed easily.

Castaneda had violated that order when he opened fire, and to her that would set a bad example for the commanders of her raider groups.

She would spare his life this time.

As much as she hated to admit it, the Erebea was at a decided disadvantage in terms of manpower and she needed every person she could get.

He would probably have to spend some time in the brig, but once she was sure he had learned his lesson he would be able to return to commanding a ship.

Later, after making her decision about Castaneda, Melati was still in her office with Thorn when there was a knock, Melati said, "Come in."

Three men walked in and Melati said, "Hello, you must be Savedge's men."

"Correct, I'm Tank, this is Heavy and this is Little Tank," replied Darrell 'Tank' Robinson.

"It nice to meet you, but Savedge is under arrest by the Colonial Military and he is at Fort Milledge."

"No, he is under arrest by the MOI and at their headquarters in Gray."

"How do you know that?" Melati asked as she did what she could to keep her voice level and impassive.

"Savedge got us a message informing us of his location and that he was arrested because the MOI believed he is working with the Erebea."

Melati and Thorn had identical worried looks on their faces when they heard that.

Thorn was going to say something but he was quickly tackled to the floor by Little Tank, as Heavy blocked the door.

It was then that Tank pulled a gun out and leveled it at Melati.

Melati was speechless, though she had to admit their bravado was impressive.

These men had the stones of a Tauron, no doubt about that.

"Listen bitch, if Savedge goes to prison or is killed because of this, I will kill you. Trust me it will not be a nice death; it will be long and painful. Do you understand me?" said Tank.

Melati nodded her head before asking in the same cool voice she had used earlier, "How did you get a gun on the Station?"

"Your security is a joke…"

"Clearly that is something I will have to address once you leave," Melati said as she began to decide ways to punish her security people for causing this fiasco to take place.

Tank was not done yet, "Also Savedge doesn't know anything about this. You just need to remember what I said."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Sometimes Savedge needs to be protected from himself. While Savedge cares about you, that doesn't mean I'm going to let you cause him to go to prison or get killed. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes."

"In that case we're done here, best to wait until we leave before you tear your security forces a new one," Tank said and with a motion of his head, the three men left the room.

Before leaving, Little Tank kicked Thorn one more time just too add insult to injury.

"What the frak was that all about?" Thorn asked when he finally stood up.

From the way he was clutching the side of his chest it seemed he might have broken a rib.

"I think our plans may have hit a speed bump. Get Mr. Ridgely on a video conference. I need to know what is going on. Once you've done that, get my security teams available. We're going to have a much-needed talk about searching for weapons."

"Right away," Thorn said as he left the room.

**Battlestar **_**Gemenon, Executive Officer's Quarters**_**:**

Captain Curtis Bond had become accustomed to thinking of himself as the XO of the _Gemenon_; hence, he was comfortable with appropriating the XO's Quarters of the old battlestar.

It was as close to a home as he could get, especially since he was needed here far more than he was back on his native Aerilon.

With Arthur Wallace back on Picon, it was up to him to continue the preparations on the _Gemenon_.

At this point, he was reviewing the list of items brought over from some of the Orianos class escort battlestars that were still in reserve.

A few stayed on as training ships but over time a majority of the thirty-six ships had been lost to enemy combat during the Cylon War, to weapons tests, or the scrap yard.

The _Serapis_, _Latona_, _Torrington_, _Cygnet_, and _Trevor_ served mainly as a source of spares to keep their sister ships going, but in this case, they provided parts to help refurbish the Gemenon.

'We're going all-out on this one,' Bond thought as he looked over the inventory list.

The idea was to convince the Erebea that they were getting a battlestar that was operational. The equipment they were salvaging from the bone yard was going to accomplish just that.

The hatch to the room came open and in walked Lieutenants Victoria Bryant and Darya Ravenscroft.

"Captain Ogden needs you in the War Room ASAP," Bryant said.

Captain Josiah Ogden was now second in command with Wallace gone, and Bond began to wonder what was going on.

"Bryant, I want you to come with me. Ravenscroft, I want you to head to the CIC and stand watch until I return," Bond said as he stood up and exited the room with the two MoI officers in tow.

**Battlestar **_**G**__**emenon**_** War Room:**

"Ogden, what's going on?" Bond asked when he came into the War Room with Bryant following behind him.

"Cinta Melati is on the other end of a conference call. She wishes to speak with you immediately," Ogden said in his decidedly Caprican accent.

"Did she way why?" Bond asked though he already suspected what the matter involved.

"If you don't mind me saying, I believe you know why she's calling you."

"I have my suspicions but if I'm wrong then there's a chance of blowing our cover. Remember that and let me know what the bitch wants," Bond shot back.

"She is inquiring about the status of Major Wallace."

"Of course she is," Bond said before turning his attention to the screen where the words 'Call Waiting' flashed in red lettering.

"Ogden, go to the CIC and take charge there. If you or Ravenscroft need to report any developments to me make sure I am not talking to Melati before you send them."

Ogden left and Bryant sat at a nearby computer terminal looking as though she were there to take notes on the upcoming meeting.

Bond hit the button to begin the call.

Immediately the face of Cinta Melati came on the screen and she looked rather annoyed for some reason.

"Mr. Ridgely, you have kept me waiting for some time," she said.

"Do you have somewhere to be?"

"No…"

"Well anyway, it's the downside of being in this situation," Bond said.

As far as Melati was concerned, he was Calvin Ridgely, a highly placed member of William Savedge's weapons smuggling operation.

"I am curious as to what you are planning to do about your boss?"

Bond shrugged his shoulders, "Right now he's in an unknown MoI facility for interrogation before he is to be shipped to Fort Milledge. I'm working with our people to come up with some sort of plan. As it is, we had to bribe a few of the civilian guards at MoI headquarters to get this information."

"You're telling me the guards there can be bought off; I had figured the MoI paid well."

"We discovered that while it is true that the MoI does pay well it would appear they do not pay that well."

"I would like to think that you will keep me informed as to what is going to happen in regards to Mr. Savedge."

"I never thought otherwise. When my people know something then I will be happy to let you know what it is."

"You are a wise man. Now if you will excuse me, I have to have a word with my security forces. Good day to you, Mr. Ridgely," Melati said.

It was then she ended the call before Bond could have a chance to wish her well.

**Ministry of Intelligence Headquarters, Gray, Picon:**

Arthur Wallace sat at his desk looking at the photos that adorned the walls of his office.

There were plenty of photos of his native Aquaria but there was a healthy representation of the Stryker family.

He looked at the one taken by Alan Stryker at Wallace's graduation from Aquaria Military Academy.

Wallace was standing between Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker and his wife, Elizabeth Stryker, outside the Kevin McDougal Tower after the graduation ceremony had ended.

He had always had a close connection to the Stryker family, so much that he was considered a part of the family.

He saw another picture; it was of him and the woman who trained him, Galit Malka. There was always talk that they would work together one day, but because of the rescue mission that freed Rachael and Renee Adar from the clutches of the Sagitarron Liberation Army and the Erebea that was not meant to be. Outside of the MoI Galit Malka was dead but there were those who knew that she was alive and rumored to be leading a specialized team in a shadow war against the Basileus crime syndicate on Canceron.

Wallace took a sip of water from his glass and before checking his watch. In truth he was not so interested in the time, he had maintained a keen sense of its passage, but it was something to keep him occupied.

In about fifteen minutes, he would head back to the on-site medical center to check on Whitney and see if she was awake again.

If not then he would simply sit there and wait for her to wake up.

The door opened and in walked Darrell 'Tank' Robinson.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," Wallace said before asking, "Where's Heavy and Little Tank?"

"They're back at the _Gemenon_ conferring with Bond about what to do about your Tauron 'friend'."

"I'm assuming Curt is giving Cinta the different version of the story you told her. How well did that go?"

"Just between the two of us, her security team is a joke," Tank said with a laugh.

"You may have just caught them sleeping. The fact that they believed you were there on my behalf may have caused them to be sloppy. You didn't do too much damage, did you?"

Tank shook his head, "It was nowhere near like that bar fight we had a couple of years ago."

"Ah yes, I remember that one," Wallace said.

It had been almost two years ago when they were on Caprica that a fight broke out between the Robinsons, Arthur and a group of Colonial Fleet officers who were discussing some incendiary remarks Admiral Stryker had made about the possible promotion of then-Commander Scott Tolan to flag rank.

"Not to change the subject, but Cinta must have ice in her veins. We had her dead-to-rights and she looked at us like we were having some sort of polite discussion about the weather."

"She's the head of the Erebea; I think it comes with the territory. If they think she's weak then it's like blood in the water to a shark."

"Just so you know, her second-in-command got slammed to the deck hard by Little Tank. I wouldn't have been surprised if the man broke some ribs from the impact with the deck."

"You got Thorn good then, glad to hear it. We have never gotten along."

"Someone not get along with you? I have no idea why that would be."

"At least for now she believes I'm in a secret MoI facility. That will buy me some time to do what I need to do."

"Let's hope Bond can keep her out of our hair while the Fleet fixes their ships. How is Whit holding up?"

Wallace shrugged, "She got hurt but I'm hoping she'll bounce back from it quickly. Seems her family wants us to go camping out in the woods here on Picon. You and your brothers are coming with me."

"You didn't mention that earlier!"

"I told Heavy, but must have slipped my mind to tell you and LT. But the important thing is that you know now."

"You asked me to deliver the news to Cinta that you were in jail but this is something different!" Tank protested.

"From what I've been told the Thompson family has wanted to meet me for some time. I can only imagine the interrogation that awaits me the moment we are alone in the woods. You know that if I'm going to walk into Hades I need someone to back me up."

"So you devised a plan that has me walking into Hades right beside you."

Wallace nodded, "That about sums it up."

"I don't mind so much but next time you could ask me first. If I'm going to get screwed then I would at least like to know it's coming," replied Tank with a chuckle.

"Listen, Tank, I'm heading to check on Whit. Why don't you come with me?"

"I was going to go see her anyway so I might as well come with you."

As the two made their way down the hallway to the elevator, Wallace noticed three men he had dealt with before, and had a feeling as to what was going to happen.

"Hey, Wallace," one of the men called out.

"Who's that?" Tank asked.

"Those are three of the members of the Argonauts. The special attack unit of the Ministry of Intelligence," Wallace whispered before smiling and waving at the three men.

"I take it you know them," Tank said.

Wallace replied, "If you want an official MOI answer then I've never heard of them but unofficially…."

"Where've you been, Arthur," one of the three asked when they finally closed the distanced between Wallace and Tank.

"You know how it is here. I can't tell you what I've been doing anymore than you can tell me about your business."

"Rumor has it you're up to something big," the man said before turning his attention to Tank, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Darrel 'Tank' Robinson. Tank, allow me to introduce you to Leif Atkins, Roland Sellers, and Mitchell Jordan of the Argonauts."

"You look like you're a soldier, Tank, where are you stationed?" Atkins asked.

"I'm with the Marines but I'm on a special assignment right now, something I can't tell you about. I'm sure you know how that is," Tank said.

"We know how that is, our missions are so classified they can't be revealed until fifty years after we're dead and gone," Jordan added.

"Truthfully though," Wallace began before continuing, "There's going to come a time in the future when I'm going to need you. In fact I may need all of the Argonauts but I can't say more until that time comes."

"We understand, Wallace, if you need anything let us know," Atkins said before motioning for the men with him to leave.

"You have the Argonauts offering to do you a favor if you need it?" Tank asked.

"I helped them out once and their leader owes me for it," Wallace said as he pressed the button for the elevator.

Tank said nothing but his mind was trying to figure out just what Wallace had done for these people.

**Two Weeks Later:**

**Tift Air Station, Tifton, Caprica:**

In Hangar One, there had been a stage and podium set up behind which the unified flag of the Twelve Colonies served as the backdrop for the occasion.

Colonel Susan Minerva surveyed the crew of the _Libran_ and mentally went over the points she had hoped to hit during this brief speech.

"Greetings, crew. I know this is the first time we have been assembled in the past couple of weeks," she began before continuing, "Our ship is currently being repaired along with the faststars that were severely damaged when we encountered the Erebea. Even though he was unable to be here at this time, I have spoken at length with Commander Tattnall about the status of our ship. The _Libran_ is going to be out of commission for a period lasting from four to five months so that proper repairs and upgrades can be made."

She paused to let that sink in with the crew before continuing, "Our new task is to reopen Tift Fleet Air Station as it is rumored that the New Green Army is using the southern continent as a base of operations against the people of Caprica. We shall do flyovers for reconnaissance purposes and launch attacks if the rumors are found to be true. For the purpose of security, travel to and from the base will be limited. However, I have received assurances from Commander Tattnall that there will be a system worked out that will allow groups to leave base to visit friends and loved ones."

She saw the looks of concern on some of the faces but hoped that her words were somewhat softening the blow. "We will be holding a memorial service here in the morning for our shipmates who were lost in the encounter with the Erebea. Anyone who wishes to speak about a lost shipmate will have the chance to do so. In the meantime, I expect you to go about your duties in the way that the Colonial Fleet expects. Just remember that once the _Libran_ is repaired we will be back on our ship where we belong. This is only a temporary assignment for us but do not forget that it is an important one. Dismissed!"

With that said, the crew disbursed to go to their berthing assignments and prepare for the upcoming duties that were expected to begin.

"Colonel Minerva," Major Alexander Mason called out once he had stepped onto the stage.

"What can I do for you, CAG?" she asked.

"You're telling me that we are reopening this base to fight the threat of the New Green Army?" he asked with a trace of incredulity in his voice.

"Well for what it's worth there have been rumors that the New Green Army was expecting to expand beyond Scorpia this time around."

"Yes and there's enough of a threat from them to warrant reopening a closed Fleet Air Station?"

"It wasn't my call but it seems to serve the purposes of those with a higher pay grade than us."

"I hear you, Colonel; my pilots will do what they can to not rock the boat. We'll be ready to fly in the morning," Mason said as he saluted Minerva and walked away.

**Picon, Aglaia Forest:**

"I think we've gone far enough. Let's pitch camp here for the night," Bruce Thompson, Whitney's father, said as he surveyed the clearing in the forest they had come to.

"I was thinking the same thing when I saw it," Carissa Thompson, Whitney's mother, said in agreement as a younger girl walked up behind them having trailed several paces behind them for much of the walk..

"I thought we'd never stop," Keri Thompson, Whitney's younger sister, said as she slid her backpack off onto the ground.

"Couldn't agree more with you sis," Ryan Thompson, Whitney's older brother, said.

"We should split into groups. One group will gather wood for a fire and the other will set up the tents," Wallace offered.

"Not a bad idea, since you came up with the idea which would you rather do?" Bruce asked.

"I'll go with my friends to gather wood," Wallace said with a nod of his head toward the Robinson brothers.

"I'll go with them, too," Whitney said as she walked over to where Wallace stood.

"I won't complain; after all we're going to be sharing a tent later," Wallace said.

"I don't think so, there's no way we're going to let that happen," Carissa stated emphatically.

"I don't see a problem with sharing a tent with my fiancée," Wallace said and then he saw the dumbfounded look on the face of Whitney's parents.

It seemed they were either unaware he was engaged to their daughter or their memory of the event had been wiped from their minds.

"I hadn't got around to that yet," Whitney said in a tone that did little to hide her embarrassment.

"How long ago did this happen?" Bruce asked.

"At least, you could have had Arthur ask your father for his blessing," Carissa said.

"It's not like that. It just sort of happened and I thought I would know the right time to tell you about it," Whitney said.

"Is he a travel agent like you?" Keri asked.

"Yes, he is. We both work for Blakeley Travels on Picon. Arthur is a fellow travel agent and that's how we met. He was there when I started working there and he showed me the ropes and taught me how to become a better agent," Whitney said and she had to wonder if this cover story would actually hold.

"Perhaps when we get back to our home in Eastbourne you and I can sit down and actually have a talk about my daughter. For now, get the firewood and know that there will be no sharing tents," Bruce said firmly.

Wallace held up his hands, "Understood, Mr. Thompson."

No one said anything as Wallace, Whitney, and the Robinson brothers left the area to go gather firewood.

As the group made its way through the forest to gather wood, Wallace and Whitney separated, something he had discussed with the Robinsons to make sure they understood, and they found a spot where they could be alone.

"Looks like we're at a ridge," Wallace said as he looked out at the wilderness of Picon below them.

"Yeah, I think it's a long way down," Whitney said as she walked close to the edge and looked down.

"Look at you! Here I was wondering if you were going to do something risky," Wallace gently teased as he took a sip of water from his canteen before passing it to her.

"It's not like that, Arthur. I nearly died not too long ago. I just needed to do something to keep me from feeling like a coward," Whitney said before accepting the canteen..

"Well maybe that's why you should be here," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"You won't tell me about what happened. Yeah, Whit you nearly died there on the _Robert Smith_ but you need to get it out and not keep it bottled up inside like you have been."

"In all the time I've known you I don't think you've ever had anything close to what I went through," Whitney shot back.

"That's not true," Wallace said.

"Oh really, in that case, Arthur, do you care to unburden yourself since that seems to be what you want from me."

"It was about three years ago, the same year as the _Valkyrie_ mission. I was sent to Canceron to gather intelligence material for Galit Malka and Keene Barron to use for when they met their contact. We were in Iopolis when one of the Basileus higher-ups got suspicious about us, one of our rookie agents was acting like a rookie. Well, when we returned to our hotel room the Basileus were waiting for us and a firefight ensued. We managed to make it out of the hotel and I was out in the parking lot heading to our car to make our getaway. One of the Basileus hitmen drew his gun and I fired at him. The only problem was that my gun was empty and I had no time to put in a fresh clip and fire without being shot."

"What happened after that?" she asked.

"He didn't fire right away. He looked at me with a smirk that seemed to say he knew he had me and I mentally prepared myself to die. Thankfully, Adam Roosevelt, the agent in charge of the operation, had the good sense to see what was happening and open fire. I managed to reload and then I shot and killed the bastard with a well-placed shot to the head."

"You never told me about that," she said.

"Not exactly my proudest moment to be honest with you, I'd rather focus on the times when I didn't almost lose my life. I've told you my story, how about you return the favor," Wallace said as he held Whitney's hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

Whitney took a calming breath, "Ok, it started when the ship went to Condition One…"

**Three Weeks Ago:**

**Faststar **_**Robert Smith**_**:**

"Action Stations, Action Stations, set Condition One throughout the ship," the voice of the _Robert Smith_'s Tactical Officer announced.

Whitney Thompson stood up and immediately left her quarters.

She heard the reverberations of the _Smith_'s guns as they began to fire at the unidentified vessels.

This was going to be serious; were they engaging the Erebea, the Eastern Alliance, or some unknown enemy?

There was a ladder up ahead; a few more levels to go up and she would be at the CIC where she would have a better idea of what was going to happen. She started up the ladder when there was a loud explosion.

The force alone lifted her off the ladder and slammed her down hard onto the deck below.

Her survival instincts kicked in and she started making her way down the corridor to try to get to a different access ladder to the deck above.

She saw smoke up ahead and began to wonder if perhaps she was going the wrong way.

"Don't go that way," a crewman she did not recognize said as he came stumbling towards her out of the smoke.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Missiles hit us and that's all I know," he said before another explosion rocked the ship.

Whitney saw a wall of flame come down the corridor and before she could react, the crewman grabbed her and shoved her into a nearby room.

He closed the door behind them and managed to secure the hatch before the whole room shook violently.

The room seemed to be heating up and it was as though she was suffocating. It was at that time that Whitney thought she was going to die and she tried to make peace.

"Do you think this is going to be it?" she asked the crewman who had thrown her into the room.

"Depends on how quickly the DC teams can get to us," he said.

"I don't know if we've met before. I'm Whitney."

"Vincenzo Suarez; pleased to make your acquaintance."

The two of them sat there talking and waiting for the inevitable. It was actually a surprise when the door opened and the Damage Control teams rescued them.

**Present Day:**

"So that is what I have been dealing with, the fact that I came so close to dying. I probably should have died when I look back on it. In that moment, I gave in to the weakness and doubted myself. Do you understand why I can't share that with anyone?"

Wallace was quiet for a moment before he answered, "Yes, I can understand that. With that incident on Canceron I only shared it with one person and that was because she read the report and went to check on me."

"The famed Galit Malka?" Whitney asked.

"That would be the one. She and I were…close. Not close in the sense we are, but I think she cared about me more than some of the other agents she trained."

"I've been reliving that day on the _Robert Smith_ and I can't make any sense as to why I survived when others didn't. I suppose I was in the right place at the right time but it just doesn't make sense as to why things happened the way they did."

"There will always be things in life you can't make sense of," Wallace said as he moved in close to put his arms around Whitney.

"Thank you, Arthur; it has helped to get this off my chest."

"Anytime, Whit, what kind of man would I be if I didn't take care of my fiancée. Listen, before Tank and the others get suspicious, I think we should start gathering some firewood. The way your dad was looking at me was enough to give me some reason for concern."

"Sounds like a plan, let's go," she said as she gave him a kiss and freed herself from his grasp.

**Four Hours Later:**

Wallace quietly stepped out of his tent and crept towards the tent he knew Whitney and Keri were sleeping in. If it were possible, perhaps he would be able to convince Whitney to sneak out and join him in his tent.

The fire had died down considerably; the embers were glowing but they were not giving off quite as much light as they were earlier in the evening.

"Going somewhere?" a man's voice asked from the darkness.

Wallace turned and his hand instinctively went to where his sidearm would have been.

He noticed that Bruce was sitting there in a folding camping chair of some sort.

"Just thought I'd go find a nice tree to use…you know how that is," Wallace offered.

"I can understand that, I'd hate to keep you from doing your business," Bruce said as he watched Wallace move away from Whitney's tent.

"Can I ask what you're doing up this time of night?" Wallace asked as he walked past where the line of trees began.

"Couldn't sleep so I thought I'd stay up and enjoy the beauty of nature; and spend some time cleaning this gun of mine. You never know when one might come in handy in the wilderness."

Wallace came out from the trees and went back to his tent, "Yeah, there's a lot of dangers out here in the woods."

"More than you realize, Arthur," Bruce said as he kept cleaning his gun by the dim light of the fire's embers.

**Battlestar **_**Gemenon,**_** Hangar Deck:**

The specialized Ministry of Intelligence Raptor was maneuvered into is berth on the hangar deck. Essentially the Raptor resembled the type used in the Colonial Fleet. There were some subtle differences, some classified and others not so much.

"Welcome to the _Gemenon_," MoI Lieutenant Cassandra Foster, a former pilot with the Colonial Fleet, announced once she had powered down the engines and opened the Raptor's hatch.

"Good job, Lieutenant," Shaylyn Rexana said as she grabbed her bags and stepped off the Raptor and onto the hangar deck.

"Lieutenant Rexana," a man with a gray MoI ship uniform said as he walked up to her, "I'm Captain Curtis Bond, Major Wallace's Executive Officer, and the one in charge of operations on the _Gemenon_ at the moment."

"It's a pleasure to be onboard, Captain Bond," Rexana said as she took in the sight of the hangar. There was a mix of different types of Vipers, mostly the ineffective Mark Vs, and Raptors. The Raptors she had deduced were for transport but the Vipers were undoubtedly for show, unless the MoI was going to start up a Viper squadron of its own.

"I've been informed that you have received training from Duke Lorentson and that you come highly recommended by him. You're going to be working with our onboard strike team, the Gladiators, under the command of Captain John Ashe."

"I can't say I've heard of the Gladiators," Rexana admitted.

"Arthur got permission from Director Reno to form a group solely for this mission," Bond said.

"How was Arthur able to get permission from Reno?" Rexana asked. Director Walter Reno was a notoriously hard man to get along with, and most requests sent to him were refused outright unless it was truly a case of emergency or in the best interests of the MoI.

"It seems Arthur did Reno a favor sometime after he was done with his training at The Ranch. The Gladiators are a mix of MoI agents and officers who have served either in the Army or in the Marines. From what I've seen of them so far, I would have to say they could give the Argonauts a run for their money," Bond said as they stepped through a hatch that led off the hangar deck and down a corridor toward the area that was reserved for the _Gemenon_'s Marine Detachment.

"Captain Bond," a tall man in camouflage fatigues and a matching green t-shirt said from down the corridor.

"Sergeant Wren, we were heading your way. Your newest Gladiator has arrived," Bond said as he motioned for Rexana to follow him.

"Sergeant Solomon Wren," the man said as he stopped to salute Bond and Rexana.

"Lieutenant Shaylyn Rexana, I'm your new explosives expert," she said as she returned the salute.

"Captain Ashe is eager to meet with you. Follow me," he said as he started walking back toward the Marine Detachment area.

"When you're settled in come see me in the CIC," Bond said as he turned and walked away.

Rexana followed Wren and as she was walking, she mentally took stock of the materiel condition of the ship. Outside it looked like it was in decent shape, albeit with several pieces of weaponry missing. The inside had faded paint and some of the lights had yet to be replaced. All of this would be window dressing however. It was her job to rig the _Gemenon_ to explode once the Erebea had taken possession of the battlestar. The thought of it brought a smile to her face. Perhaps that would finally bring her the closure she had sought for the past few years.

"Before we go meet with Captain Ashe I was told to swing you by Medical so the Doc can look you over," Wren said, as he turned left down another corridor.

When they finally arrived at Medical the doctor was waiting for them, along with two women whom she assumed were the doctor's assistants.

"You must be Lieutenant Rexana," he said as he welcomed her to Medical, "I'm Doctor Benjamin Tusten. These are two of my assistants, Jayne Riley and Tameka Lindsey."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rexana said as she sat down on an examining table and waited for Tusten to begin.

She felt excited to be on the _Gemenon_, she genuinely felt as though she was doing something that would prove to be beneficial to the people of the Twelve Colonies.

_**Gemenon**_**, CIC:**

Bond stood at the Command and Control Station, picked up the receiver from its cradle, and motioned for Bryant to establish the connection.

"Mr. Ridgely, I hope you have a good reason for calling me this time of night," the very annoyed voice of Cinta Melati said after she picked up the phone. It had taken five rings but he had finally managed to wake her up.

"No time for pleasantries," Bond began before continuing with, "I have a plan that may be able to get Savedge out of prison. I'm currently putting the pieces together and in the next few days I should be able to put my plan into action."

"This is promising but how what will it involve?"

"Don't worry about the details; just know that I've put our money to good use to bribe the necessary people. I will need one thing from you," he said. "I need your people to stay out of the way and let my people do their job."

"Unacceptable, the Erebea have more than enough experience in these matters."

Bond shook his head, "You underestimate the types of people I employee. Not to take anything away from you and your people of course."

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Bond heard her say, "Very well then, Mr. Ridgely. However, if you find that you need my assistance you may ask for it and I will spare you any version of the line 'I told you so.'"

"If I need the Erebea for this I will let you know the first chance I get," Bond said before motioning to Bryant to sever the connection.

"In my opinion she took that quite well," Bryant said.

Bond nodded, "That she did. I want you to get me in touch with Directors Reno and Cobb; I need them to get Shea onboard with this plan."

It was one thing to get a fake story out there about a weapons dealer being broken out of prison. The trick was to do it in such a way that the story would hold up to the highest scrutiny. Cinta Melati did not get where she was by taking unnecessary risks. From what he had learned of her was that she did not trust easily, and if this was to work she would have to believe that weapons dealer William Savedge had escaped from a high-security location and that there was nothing at all suspicious about the story.

He looked over at Bryant she mouthed the word 'Reno' to him and he nodded and picked up the receiver once again. He and Arthur had talked about this during the last couple of weeks. Now the time had arrived to get the green light for the plan they had dubbed 'Operation Bowery'. Only time would tell just how successful it would prove to be.


	6. Chapter 6: Swings and Roundabouts

**Chapter Six: Swings and Roundabouts**

**Two and a Half Weeks Later:**

**Tift Fleet Air Station:**

**Station Commander's Office:**

Colonel Susan Minerva sat behind the desk with the phone receiver to her ear, "If you only knew how badly I want to be there with you and the kids."

"It's good to know you're not having too much fun down there in Tifton," Douglas Minerva said teasingly to his wife.

"We're getting a base that was closed down, up and running again. Believe me, it's not my idea of a good time."

"In that case, what is your idea of a good time?"

Minerva smiled, "I think right now a family trip to the movies in the afternoon followed by a night of dancing with you."

"You do remember that I have two left feet," he said.

"You're just rusty at it; I think I could help in getting the rust off."

"We are still talking about dancing; right?" he asked.

Minerva laughed, "When the kids are nearby you're correct. Where are they?"

"Dalton went with Larry Drake and his family to the movies. I believe they went to see _Treasure Hunt on Leonis_."

"I heard that one should be good. So since we are talking about dancing, I assume that means our little princess is nearby," Minerva said with a smile.

There was a knock on the door. When Minerva put her husband's call on hold and called for the person to enter, in stepped Chief Stavros Navarino.

"What can I do for you, Chief?" she asked.

"Is this a bad time?"

She held up a finger to signal him to wait a minute and then she put her husband back on the phone.

Once she explained that she needed to call him back later, she hung up the phone and turned her attention to him, "It's not a bad time, what's going on?"

"My people are having trouble with the Vipers they brought us. It seems we were given Viper Mark Vs instead of the newer models like we had on the _Libran_."

Minerva frowned. "The Vs were worthless if you ask me. Unreliable systems and performance never really improved over the IV. Was there any reason why our birds from the _Libran_ weren't sent down?"

"I'm trying to find out but so far it's been something like throwing yourself against a brick wall hoping to knock it down."

"Yeah, that would be pretty painful. I'll see what I can do, Chief. In the meantime try to fix whatever you can to get those Mark Vs up and running."

Navarino saluted and left the room.

Minerva was going to pick up the phone and call her husband back when there was another knock on the door. She silently cursed in frustration.

"Colonel Minerva, I presume," the young man in the black business suit standing in the doorway said.

"That would be correct, Mister…"

"Major Arthur Wallace, I'm with the Ministry of Intelligence," he said as he walked up to her desk and offered a handshake.

"Pleased to meet you, Major Wallace," she said as she stood up and shook his hand.

"You can call me Arthur. The formality bit has never really been my thing."

"Alright then, Arthur, what brings you to Tift? Are you here to spend some time with your fellow MoI agents?"

"Somewhat, I'm in overall command of the project to bring down the Erebea."

Minerva was stunned, "I thought Major Windsor was the one in charge."

"That pompous ass couldn't lead his way out of a paper bag with a map and a seeing eye dog. You have to understand that Major Windbag and I do not get along."

"You've gone up a notch in my book, Arthur."

"I doubt that's much higher. I've heard you aren't too fond of the MoI; coming from you that would have to be a compliment."

"It goes back a few years. Because of the way things went down with my old CO from the_ Vanguard_ after that mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece. I suppose sometimes you can't help but paint with a broad brush."

"I admit the MoI has a reputation and some of it is deserved. I can promise you that you don't have to worry about me playing any games with you."

"The last time I heard that was from Timothy Edwards when he tried to get my shirt off at the Colonial Day game during my senior year of high school."

"I take it he wasn't quite able to pull that off."

"You would be right; I have good instincts about people. Helps me to know who I can trust and who is simply trying to feed me a line."

"In that case, Colonel, what would you say about me?"

Minerva sized Wallace up.

"You strike me as someone I could trust. I would be cautious around you, but I believe you meant what you said to me. You've come in here and been as subtle as a brick through a glass window and that's usually a trait of someone being upfront with me."

"If you don't mind me asking, where is Commander Tattnall at?"

"He went to his house on Picon. I recall him telling me that he owned some land out in the woods. When he comes back I'll have the chance to go spend time with my family."

"I'm sure your husband and your two kids will be happy to see you."

"Yes they will be. If you don't mind me asking why are you here on Caprica?" she asked and she quickly held up her hand to keep Wallace from saying anything, "Never mind, you'll probably have to tell me a lie or something."

"Only in the name of operational security of course…truthfully though I need to borrow the MoI team here on the base for a side mission here on Caprica and I'm here to collect them and take them up to Edessa."

"I won't keep you waiting too long then. It was a pleasure meeting you Arthur; you're not what I expected from a MoI officer."

"Thank you Colonel Minerva, I look forward to working with you in the future," Wallace said as he stood and left the room.

**Cave Spring, Picon:**

Commander Nicholas Tattnall brought the axe down on the piece of wood on the stump, promptly splitting it in two and sending the pieces to the ground. His arms ached on the border of pain but still at the point where a man felt alive in his natural element. It was a good work out.

"A few more of these and I'll be done," he said as his gloved hands picked up the pieces and tossed them onto the pile of firewood.

His house was one he had designed and helped build over the course of the last ten years.

It had all the touches of modern life to it but he also included some aspects to give it that old feel.

One of which was the fireplace in the house's living room that kept the place warm during the cold winter nights. This area of Picon was notorious for its winter temperatures.

"You finish that up and I'll get started on dinner," Christine Collier said after opening the kitchen window that faced the backyard where Tattnall was splitting firewood.

"You said we were having Gemenese tonight?" he asked once he sat his axe down.

"I told you before that you have not lived until you have tried my Gemenese," she said as she stepped back and closed the window.

"My first night on the planet and I run into her," Tattnall said as he readied another block of wood for splitting.

He had known Christine Collier for all of two weeks now.

She was an investigative journalist with the Memphis Press Scimitar.

She had spent most of her life in Memphis, Picon though she had lived on Gemenon enough years to master the cuisine of the colony.

The two had met in Queenstown at Jim Shaw's Restaurant on the waterfront.

After a night of drinks the two had been mostly inseparable, not that he was complaining of course.

Tattnall brought the axe down, promptly splitting the wood into two halves, and was going to set up another piece when he saw a black Scorpia Sedan make its way down the dirt driveway that led from the main highway.

'Gods don't let it be who I think it is,' he thought as he saw the figure of the man he did not want to see sitting behind the wheel.

The passenger door window of the sedan rolled down and Tattnall heard the familiar voice of Major Evan Windsor, "You should really get a phone with better reception out here."

"The reception is fine Windsor, I was simply ignoring you."

"You wound me Tattnall. Are you willing to head back to Caprica early?"

"Not particularly, I have a couple more days until I'm needed at Tift. From the reports I've read Minerva is holding the fort down well enough."

"What could possibly make you want to stay here…" Windsor said and then he saw the other car parked near the house, "Who's your friend?"

"Not that it's any of your business but her name is Christine Collier. Knowing how nosey you MoI types are, come back for dinner in a couple of hours. She's making her version of Gemenese cuisine."

"A woman who is willing to put up with you, that alone will be worth suffering through a night of Gemenese food," Windsor said as he rolled up the window and put the car into gear.

**Carthage, Caprica:**

**Hamid Transport Warehouse:**

The large vacant building that was located off of Niobe Avenue once served as the main warehouse and transport hub for the Hamid Merchandise company until nine years ago when the company was bought out by Caprimart.

Since then it had stood empty except to serve as a source for unscrupulous scrap merchants or the occasional homeless person who tried to find shelter in its empty interior.

Arthur Wallace had seen it as the perfect place for him to set up his operations on Caprica.

Instead of dirty floors and damaged walls on the inside there was now an array of the latest in technology and weaponry that the MoI could afford.

On the outside the building still looked abandoned but that was all part of the plan to keep unwanted attention from being directed its way.

Wallace saw the potential in this location and today his vision was proving to have been prophetic.

Arrayed near the loading docks were two black prison transport trucks usually used by Caprica Police Department, only all identifying markers had been taken off of them, and they looked almost sinister in appearance. Second hand examples of these vehicles were common amongst crime syndicates who liked their hardened exteriors and powerful engines.

Inside of the loading dock were the Ministry of Intelligence personnel associated with the Gemenon Project.

"I see you brought some firepower for this," Wallace said as he inspected the two groups Captain Curtis Bond brought for the upcoming operation.

"If we're going to convince Cinta that this is legitimate then we might as well bring out the big guns for this," Bond said.

"True enough," Wallace replied as he looked at the members of The Gladiators, his personal army on the decommissioned battlestar Gemenon.

"I think we're going to put on quite a show for her today," Whitney Thompson said as she surveyed the weaponry arrayed on a large table in the empty warehouse where they had set up as a temporary headquarters.

Victoria Bryant, Darya Ravenscroft, Shaylyn Rexana, Clarissa Shaw, Sonya Rollins, Dana Adasi, and Rachel Haley would make up the 'rescue team' that would attack the transport that would be on its way to take 'William Savedge' to the Raptor that would deliver him to Fort Milledge.

The 'officers' transporting him were also members of the Gladiators. Dallas Garza, Luther Royal, Oren Raphael, Roger Bradshaw, Yavuz Selim, Jacob Lane, Michael Lott, Damien Kingston, Solomon Wren, and John Ashe would be the team that would be 'eliminated' by Bond and his team.

Captain John Ashe had been an officer in the Colonial Army before he had been drummed out after an incident on _Libran_ where he had stopped a drunken man from trying to force a young woman from going home with him.

Ashe's military training had kicked in and the man ended up in the hospital.

It had been Arthur Wallace who had not only pulled the necessary strings among the Ministry of Intelligence directors to have him selected him lead the Gladiators.

Wallace knew he could trust the members of his team but he never had to wonder if he had Ashe's loyalty.

"Lieutenant Rexana has refined her part of the plan to the point where there is little doubt that it will perform flawlessly," Ashe said.

Wallace walked up to where Rexana was standing, "Is that true?"

"I've spent hours going over the plan for this operation; it would take an act of the gods to keep it from performing as expected."

"In that case I have nothing to worry about," Wallace said as he walked away and headed back to where he had previously stood.

"Give us an hour and we will be ready to proceed," Ashe said with an air of confidence.

"Very well then, fall out and prepare for Operation Bowery," Wallace said as he turned and headed towards his private quarters with Whitney Thompson in tow.

"You heard Major Wallace; Gladiators fall out and prepare to carry out our mission!" Ashe called out in a voice that would have impressed the best of the drill instructors.

**Wallace's Private Quarters:**

"You survived the time in the forest with my family just fine," Thompson said as she put her arms around Wallace's next.

Wallace kissed her on the lips, "Thankfully the Robinsons were there keep me from being too outnumbered."

"Not to talk about business but I thought they were supposed to be here for this operation."

"They're busy over in Icaria right now. If the operation goes south then they can be there quickly to provide us with extra fire support."

"A pity when you think about it, I get engaged and my fiancé goes and gets shipped off to Fort Milledge. What would my parents thinks?"

"I think they'd be devastated that their daughter would go and fall for a bad boy, it's just so stereotypical."

"Well your parents did a good enough job of keeping us apart, I think it's time we made up for lost time," Wallace said as he leaned in to kiss her.

When their lips parted Thompson walked over to the door and engaged the security locks, "I thought we would never get around to it."

'I love being back on the job,' Wallace thought as he flipped switch to engage the privacy shutters.

**Communications Room:**

"I take it your people are preparing for the rescue," Cinta Melati, the leader of the Erebea, asked.

"We're going through final prep work as we speak. When I give the word we will deploy our forces and secure Savedge," Curtis Bond said.

"You have my full support Mr. Ridgely," Cinta Melati said from her office in her headquarters. This was an operation she had been anticipating every since it had come to her attention.

"I cannot tell you how reassuring that is to me."

"Have you been able to discover how Savedge was captured?"

Bond shook his head, "My people are tracking down some possible leads but so far nothing has turned up. However some rumors point to it being someone inside of the Erebea."

"What?" asked Melati in a voice that did little to conceal the mixture of shock and worry that she was feeling.

"There are only rumors at this point but the people we deal with will not divulge information out of the goodness of their hearts. It requires a certain incentive."

"Just what incentives do you use?"

"I prefer the financial approach first and when that doesn't work I go to the methods that appeal to other instincts."

Melati smiled, "I've found that allowing a loved one to live or allowing a person to keep a part of their body provides a lot of motivation."

"I can see where you're coming from with that, it keeps a person focused on what matters," Bond said before turning his attention to the sound of the warehouse's doors sliding open, "My people have received their last supply of weapons for the operation. When we hear again I promise you will have Savedge back."

"I look forward to that," Melati said before she pressed the button to end the conversation. She was worried about whether Savedge's people would find who it was that betrayed him. When they did then he or she would probably receive a bullet to the head for what had happened. The worst part of it was that if it was someone in the Erebea then that person had the potential to bring the pirate organization to its knees. Melati shuddered as she started to wonder who she could trust or not.

**Loading Dock:**

The doors to the loading dock opened and Bond saw Ministry of Intelligence Director Troy Reno get out of his black MoI vehicle. His driver sat there watching the assembled team with a quiet indifference.

"Captain Bond, I'm sorry for the impromptu visit," Reno said as he shook Bond's hand.

"Not a problem Director Reno, we're going over our final prep work before we proceed."

"I never thought you would need to pull off Operation Bowery, the other directors were caught off guard when we put the resources together for this. Shea is hoping all of this will be worth it."

"It will be, Arthur and I both agree that this will gurantee us the trust of Cinta Melati and will go a long way to helping us reach our goal of destroying the Erebea."

"You and Arthur go back a ways if I'm not mistaken."

Bond nodded his head, "We both went through training at The Ranch, since then if he's been on an op then I've been there in some form."

"Does that include Canceron?"

"I was there as part of the overall force but I was assigned to the group that help set up Barron's work in Romanus."

"If you're a Captain then why is Wallace a Major?"

"As part of his proposal for the Erebea operation he requested a promotion to Major so that he would not have to answer to Major Windsor."

"To say those two hate each other is an understatement," Reno said before deciding to change the subject, "Where is Major Wallace?"

"He's currently in his quarters debriefing Lieutenant Thompson."

"Did he say how long it would take?"

"Knowing him he's probably going to give her a very detailed debriefing."

"I have to be back in Caprica City for a meeting so wish Major Wallace good luck for me."

"I will Director, it was good seeing you," Bond said as he shook hands with Reno and promptly went to speak with Ashe. After Reno's car left Bond picked up his pace, the sooner this was over with the sooner he could give Cinta the 'good' news about the mission's success.

**Cave Spring, Picon:**

"I am a man who can admit when he was wrong and I tell you now that I was wrong," Evan Windsor said as he took another bite of the Gemenese food on his plate.

"I know I'm supposed to be polite but you two men deserve an 'I told you so'," Christine Collier teased both Windsor and Nicholas Tattnall.

"Fair enough, I think we both deserve one of those," Tattnall said after taking a sip of his Thornstowe Estates wine.

"So Evan," Collier said after a silence began to form at the table, "What exactly is it that you do?"

"He's an insurance salesman," Tattnall quickly offered.

"Is that right, what insurance do you sell?" she asked in a way that made it clear she doubted it.

"You have a hard time believing that?" Windsor asked.

"I have a friend who is in that field and he does not carry himself the way you do. It's hard to describe but you do not strike me as some salesman."

"Tell you what Evan you go ahead and fill her in on everything."

"What?" Windsor asked in a voice that could not have sounded more shocked.

"Christine is a journalist and I'm sure she can keep things confidential."

"Sure, that's something us journalists have drilled into us."

Windsor put his fork down, "Very well then…I'm with the Ministry of Intelligence. Commander Tattnall and I have been tasked with hunting down and eliminating the Erebea."

A quiet fell over the table as the two men waited to see what she would say.

"As far as telling a lie goes that was pretty weak. I'll let you slide on this one Evan but one day you will tell me what it is you actually do for a living. I'll take the plates and get dessert," she said as she stood up and took the men's plates into the kitchen.

Windsor looked to Tattnall but only glared as the Colonial Fleet officer tried to contain his laughter.

"You knew that was going to happen," he finally said to Tattnall.

"I kind of did, I think she'd only believe it were true if she had hacked into the MoI database and extracted the information herself."

"I don't know who is worse to deal with…you or Arthur Wallace…but right now you two are tied in my book."

"Who's Arthur Wallace?"

"He's the other Major assigned to this mission of ours. He's working another angle that's not tied into what we're doing. He's an annoying little frak who thinks he's doing this job better than I could. You can call me paranoid if you want but I don't trust him."

"Why is that?"

"I just think he is up to something and more than likely it is not Ministry-related business. I wish I could tell you but when you have a mutual dislike with another person it makes it hard to share secrets. Then there is the fact that he is also…well I think the best term to use would b e to refer to him as Stryker's-bitch!"

"How dare you speak badly of Admiral Stryker? I don't think you can appreciate what all that man did for the Colonies during the Cylon War," replied Tattnall, about to lose his temperature.

"I'm not speaking badly of Stryker; I honestly respect the man for his service during the war. The fact remains that Arthur had to have gotten to where he is because of Stryker's coat tails."

"Well if Stryker picked him them he must be all right," replied Tattnall, a little jealous of Arthur.

"It's an interesting thing Tattnall, I'm starting to believe that I like you less now than I did before."

"Christine's coming, we'll talk more when we're back on the _Libran_," Tattnall whispered and watched as Collier came back into the room carrying a chocolate cake she had baked earlier in the day.

**Five Hours, Forty-Nine Minutes Later:**

**Highway 87, Caprica:**

Their side of Caprica was now shrouded in darkness, here in the early morning hours there would be few if any people on the roads. This was the ideal opportunity to put Operation Bowery into action.

Ministry of Intelligence transport van CLI-0729 was making its way along the rural roads that snaked through the Caprican landscape between Carthage and Tavium.

"Are you sending out a last message to Whitney?" Bond asked Wallace.

Wallace smiled, "Just making notes for when the mission is over and I talk to Cinta."

"This will go well, just enjoy the ride and put on a good show for your Tauron woman."

"Speaking of which, do you have everything ready to give to Cinta?" Wallace asked knowing that Bond would know exactly what he was talking about.

"Everything is in place for that, once this operation is over I can give her convincing proof that James Thorn is the one who betrayed you to the MoI and has been plotting to remove her from power so he can take over the Erebea. I don't think the poor bastard has any idea that we're setting him up."

"I hope not, but it serves him right for being suspicious of me," Wallace said as he closed his eyes for a power nap before him and his team put on their show to prove to Cinta Melati that he had been freed from the clutches of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Wallace simply nodded. He had of course lied to Bond but that was something he would never admit to him. The two of them had been through their share of adventures with the Ministry of Intelligence but if Bond knew the real reason why he was with the MoI he would not hesitate to turn on him.

He had promised Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker that he would carry out the personal mission the Colonial Fleet officer had given him. That mission took precedence over any relationships he had on the personal and professional level.

**Silvanus Jungle:**

General Evander Sarpedon of the New Green Army stood outside of his command tent and took in a deep breath of the jungle air. The sounds of the Silvanus Jungle were like a symphony of nature and it was oddly soothing to him. Navid Ismail, his top lieutenant, came up to where he was standing.

"We have received a message from our friend. We're decrypting it now and should be able to strike as soon as we get the chance to review the data."

Sarpedon turned to Ismail, "Excellent, have the troops mustered so I can address them before the operation begins."

The New Green Army, known to most as the NGA, was the successor to the Green Army from several years ago. The original Green Army was an eco-terrorist group on Scorpia opposed to the vast deforestation of the planet's jungles by off-world companies. The group first appeared almost twenty years ago and at the time none imagined it turning into any kind of armed resistance group. Off-world companies were plundering the natural resources of Scorpia's vast jungles and locals were opposed to this. The group began life as an organized protest but this quickly grew into acts of civil disobedience.

The protests and acts of disobedience turned violent on several occasions. During one protest in the Demeter Jungle five members of the Green Army were killed by security personnel protecting the workers. These five members became known as the Green Five and were heralded as martyrs. The Green Army now turned to open violence as they quickly gained popular support on their homeworld following the killing of the Green Five.

It took the Colonial military five years to finally put an end to the Green Army's activities. A combination of Army and Marine forces with the air support of the planetary Colonial Fleet and Air Force units put an end to the violence. The ultimate irony was that although the Green Army was defeated it was ultimately successful in achieving its aims. The bulk of off-world forestry companies decided to leave the colony and those that remained were forced to employ locals thus improving Scorpia's economy.

There were branches of the New Green Army on each of the twelve colonies. They were usually located in some area of natural resources with an axe to grind against off-world companies plundering the colony's natural resources. In the case of Caprica it was this and the fact that there were those who felt the off-world colonies took cubits that rightfully belonged to all Capricans.

For Sarpedon this was a belief he had held dear even after he had finished his service in the Colonial Army. He had seen shortcomings in the people from the other eleven colonies; none in his opinion had the worth of a Caprican. If things worked out as he had hoped then perhaps Caprica could have more wealth than it already did, helping it to shine as the crown jewel of the Twelve Colonies.

It would not have even been possible if their mysterious benefactor had not come to him with a proposition he could have refused. William Savedge was a weapons dealer, a smuggler, and probably a thief of some sort…and he was willing to invest heavily in the NGA. He was a man who claimed to have sources in the Ministry of Intelligence and an alliance of some sort with the Erebea. If the message that they had just received from him turned out to be accurate then Tift Fleet Air Station was ripe for an attack of some sort. Not a full-scale battle but a skirmish to serve as the opening round of this new conflict.

**One Hour and Twelve Minutes Later:**

**Tift Fleet Air Station:**

Minerva might not have been on duty but she felt a sense of unease for some reason. They had an official mission but there really should not have been one. For all the crew of the _Libran_ knew they were there simply to help perpetuate the image of a Colonial Fleet air station that was there to fight a threat that the people of the Twelve Colonies had been told existed here on the southern continent of Ilion.

The night air was cool; the breeze would have her shiver if it had not been for the fact that she was wearing her uniform jacket. Ahead of her was the building that served as the home for the Marines. The two floor structure served as the headquarters for the base's marines and it was here that she was heading to.

She saw a Marine officer walking out of the front of the building.

"Lieutenant Casey," Minerva called out.

"Colonel Minerva," Lieutenant Kaitlin Casey said once she was within earshot of Minerva.

"Are either Major Smith or Staff Sergeant Strean inside?" Minerva asked. Major Daniel Smith and Staff Sergeant Bernard Strean were perhaps the most recognizable members of the _Libran's _Marine Detachment due to their involvement in the rescue of President Adar's sister and niece a few years ago. They had requested assignment to the _Libran_ for its mission against the Erebea as a way to help finish the group off once and for all.

"Yes ma'am, they're going over reports from the patrol that my people and I are heading out to relieve."

Minerva was going to say something to hear but her words did not get out of her mouth as a barrage of gunfire was heard from the other side of the base followed by loud explosions.

"What the frak?" Minerva spat out and listened as Casey's radio crackled to life.

"This is Shaw, my people are taking heavy fire near the southwestern gate," Lieutenant Merlin Shaw called out.

"This is Vinson; we're taking fire down here at the southeastern gate. Send reinforcements!" Lieutenant Justin Vinson said in between bursts of gunfire.

Minerva bolted to the Marine headquarters. When she arrived she immediately went to the communications room. The Marine there was going to say something but was cut off when she started giving orders.

"Get Chief Navarino to scramble the Vipers for takeoff, alert Major Mason that he needs to get his squadron airborne right away, and let me know when they take off," Minerva ordered before wheeling around to head to go find Major Smith.

The gunfire was staring to intensify now, it seemed that a group of whatever hostiles were attacking the base were now closing in on their location. Several Marines ran by her towards the entrance doors with their weapons drawn. She had a feeling that Smith was probably heading towards the communications room and she would run into him.

She never got the chance to talk to him. A mortar round landed not far from the wall she was walking by. The force from the blast hurtled her against the opposite wall of the room. She would probably felt the pain she was in if she had not lost consciousness right away.

When Minerva came to she was in a bed at the base's infirmary. As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings she went to sit up and felt a sharp pain in her chest as though her ribs had taken a hard punch.

"You may not want to do that Colonel," one of the doctors said as she walked over to Minerva's bed.

"Who are you?" she asked, the doctor was one of the doctors from the _Libran's_ staff but she could not remember her name.

"Doctor Rebecca Lawson, Doctor Hibbert is away at the moment so I'm filling in for him on this shift, if you don't mind me saying you're a fortunate woman."

"How's that?"

"You had no broken bones but your body took a bruising from hitting the wall as hard as you did. For what it's worth you've been unconscious for two days. We've tended to the wounded and the few casualties and Commander Tattnall came from here from Picon as soon as he heard about the attack. So lay down and relax, everything is fine."

Minerva did feel relieved that and knowing that Tattnall was there did help. She laid back down and closed her eyes to rest, it would at least help take her mind off of how sore her body was felt.

**Five Months Later:**

**Lampetia Shipyard:**

"I guess this is going to all we see of each other for now," Christine Collier said as she moved a strand of her black hair back into place.

"If we were at war I'd have insisted on having you come on the _Libran_ as a war correspondent," Commander Nicholas Tattnall said as took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It had been almost six months since they had first met and it seemed like they were on the way to having the start of a serious relationship.

"I may not be one you'd want to have onboard. Instead of staying in the guest quarters I'd just end up sneaking into the commander's quarters for the night."

"When you put it like that I would love to have you onboard," he teased before he turned his eyes away from her and to the view of the _Libran_ outside of the viewport.

"I know how strongly you feel about your ship Nick, just be glad I'm not the jealous type."

He turned his attention back to her, "I'm glad for that, I've had friends who lost relationships because the person they were with couldn't handle something like that."

"I know you need to get onboard and visit with your people, but I promise to stay in touch and when you get back from your deployment we'll more than make up for lost time," she said as she kissed him before walking away.

There was another member of the _Libran's_ senior staff nearby who was saying goodbye to loved ones. Colonel Susan Minerva hugged her children not wanting to let go of them just yet.

"I'm going to miss you," Dalton, her eight year old son, said after his mom had released her hold of him.

"Do you have to go?" Isabelle, her five year old daughter, said as she tried to keep from tearing up.

"Mommy has to go, but I promise that I'll be home before you know it. Be good for your dad and when I get back we'll have more fun than you can imagine," Minerva said as she kissed her children on the cheek, "I want you to over to where your grandma is, I need to say bye to your father."

Reluctantly the two of them walked over to where there her mother stood.

"I guess having you stationed on the planet spoiled me," Douglas Minerva said as he took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"You weren't the only one who was spoiled by that."

"Is this going to be another standard deployment for you?"

"I won't have any idea until I talk to Commander Tattnall."

"I'll look forward to hearing from you while you're deployed," he said as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, "I love you Susan."

"I love you too Doug," she said as she turned to walk away. As she headed for the airlock she looked back to see her family was waving at her. She smiled and turned to blow them a kiss and wave at them. Turning back to walk to the airlock she felt her eyes tear up slightly. This was perhaps the hardest part of leaving for deployment. In all the years she had been in the Colonial Fleet it had never really become easier.

"Colonel Minerva, good to see you again," Tattnall said as he spotted her approaching the airlock.

"You as well Commander…it's good to see the old girl again," Minerva said as she looked out the large viewport at the impressive sight of the _Libran_. The battlestar did not show any of the scars from her conflict over five months ago that had necessitated the repair work to it and the damaged faststars.

"The workers put in some quality work to get her looking like this. Ready to go get settled in? Tomorrow the rest of the crew will report and we want to be ready for them," Tattnall said as he showed his ID to the Marines guarding the airlock.

**The Next Day:**

**Battlestar _Libran_, Commanding Officer's Conference Room:**

Commander Tattnall's office held a luster to it as though the wood paneling had been freshly polished. The walls held a collection of photos from both the _Libran's _past as well as some from the collection of its commanding officer. Pictures of the battlestar mingled with images of its former Commanding Officers as well as other crew members. Other pictures were related to its namesake colony. Panoramic shots of various cities of Libran decorated the walls as well as pictures of the natural wonders of the colony. It gave the conference room the feeling of a home without making the walls appear to be too cluttered. There was a circular table located in the middle of the room, its dark mahogany tone matching well with the color of the walls. Seated at the table were the personnel that of the senior staff that had come onboard the battlestar; Chief Stavros Navarino, Lieutenant James Ward, Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg, Evan Windsor, and Minerva were engaged in small talk about the events that had occurred since the _Libran_ had been put into the repair yard in order to have its battle damage taken care of.

The door to the conference room opened and Tattnall walked into the room, causing all talk to cease as the group at the table stood. With a nod from Tattnall the group took a seat with the commanding officer soon following suit.

"I take it the crew is settling in nicely," Tattnall said before proceeding with the first news item he had received when he came onboard the battlestar, "Major Mason has informed me that there has been a change in the pilots assigned to the _Libran's_ squadrons. Also we have our new personnel coming onboard today to replace our casualties from the encounter with the Erebea and from the skirmishes with the New Green Army."

"Did Tift's new commander give you any updates?" Freyburg asked.

"Commander Laronei has told me that they've dealt with various small attacks from the NGA, pretty much it's the same thing we've dealt with over the past few months with us there. The Marine brass is concerned that those NGA bastards have built a system of underground tunnels to make them harder to find. This new army may have learned lessons from its predecessor's conflict," Tattnall said grimly. He had dealt with them in much the way the Colonial forces had dealt with the original Green Army back on Scorpia and as much as he hated to admit it…his results would hardly qualify as a success.

"There is a chance that the NGA may have formed an alliance with other groups on the different worlds and perhaps even groups such as the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance. They seem to be better funded and better armed than the original Green Army," Windsor said as he mentally checked the report that had been submitted to the MoI's directors.

Minerva tried to move the subject away from their encounter with the New Green Army, "Where will be heading after we leave dock tomorrow?"

"I've talked to Colonel Baines and her faststar group will be providing a defensive ring for us when we hit our next target," Tattnall said as he pressed a button that brought up a map on the large display screen, "Colonel Mandeville will take his faststar group and attack a small Erebea outpost in the Agano System. While he does that we are going to move to the Damocles System and wait for the Erebea to attack a large cargo shipment that is going to be passing through the system."

Freyburg spoke up, "How do you know the Erebea will attack this convoy?"

"Because we've leaked the manifest of the ships and made sure the list will entice the Erebea," Windsor said before continuing, "The Erebea is desperate for supplies and I have no doubt that they will move to take the ships and the cargo for themselves. With that outpost in the Agano System we know they have a presence there and we can use that to our advantage."

Tattnall nodded, "Windsor is right, we can lie in wait and strike the Erebea before they have a chance to engage either us or the convoy."

The meeting was adjourned and the officers left to oversee final preparations for the _Libran's_ departure. In another day or two they would be out in the Damocles System waiting to pounce on their enemy and get some payback for being knocked out of action for little over half a year.


	7. Chapter 7: The Hunters and The Hunted

**Chapter Seven: The Hunters and The Hunted**

**Baylor System:**

**Patrol Frigate _Moultrie_:**

Patrol Group 58 was one of the task forces based out of Nassau Station, not far from where the group was currently deployed, tasked with keeping an eye out for any activity in regards to either the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance.

The group was composed of four _Sirocco_ class patrol ships and one _Kopis_ class patrol frigate, with the frigate serving as the command ship for the task force.

Major Darren Ellsworth looked over the orders that had been given to him from the task force commander and sighed.

Lieutenant Colonel Jerrod Stokes had been tight-lipped since they had departed from Nassau Station three days ago.

All Ellsworth had been told was that there had been reliable information discovered that pointed to pirate activity in the area.

So far, there had been little to comment on and Ellsworth began to wonder if the intelligence Stokes had mentioned was really anything of substance.

"Anything to report, sir?" Captain Dominica Labuan, Ellsworth's Executive Officer, said as she entered the CIC as part of the upcoming watch turnover.

"Nothing new, this whole system seems to be quiet," Ellsworth said as he put the report down.

"I heard that Stokes may send the patrol ships to the outer edges of the system."

Ellsworth thought that would be a more logical idea than keeping the task force in one cluster in the middle of the system.

Perhaps the _Sirocco, Oroshi, Zephyr_, or _Shamal_ would have better luck that way

"Sir, there's multiple DRADIS contacts," the tactical officer announced suddenly.

"Mister Stafford, I want you to inform Colonel Stokes that we have possible DRADIS contacts," Ellsworth said to Ensign Michael Stafford.

The young officer promptly relayed the message to Stokes' quarters.

It was not long after that Stokes entered the CIC. "Have you identified the vessels?"

"They've identified themselves as the heavy transport vessels _Carib, Seneca, Tawasa, Tekesta_, and _Cusabo_. They're carrying a large scrap delivery to Verona's salvage facility in the Brigantia System," Ellsworth said.

Stokes was quiet for a moment before he said, "That may be the case, but I want us to go in for a closer look. We don't want to take any chances of them smuggling weapons to either the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance."

"I agree with you, sir."

Stokes turned his attention to Stafford, "Alert the vessels that they are to come to a complete stop and prepare to be boarded."

Stafford complied and sent out the message.

When a reply came in he said, "The captains of the vessels have replied that they will comply with your request and come to a stop to be boarded."

"That's promising," Stokes said.

Suddenly the lights in the CIC flickered and went off all over the patrol frigate and the patrol ships that made up the task force; it was as though someone had simply flipped a switch to turn off the power.

**Heavy Transport Ship _Carib_: **

"Remind me to thank Savedge for the EMP weapons," Cinta Melati said as she watched the Colonial Fleet vessels lose power and begin to drift.

William Savedge was a weapons dealer who had been very generous in his business relationship with her and the Erebea.

The terms for his services were not outrageous and he had never once failed to deliver on his promises.

Their relationship was both professional and at times physical; despite her not wanting to admit it…she really did enjoy the sex.

It had especially been the case the night his people had freed him from the custody of the Ministry of Intelligence and brought him to her.

Eventually, the power to the ships would be restored, but by then her ships would have spooled up their FTL drives and jumped away.

"I trust the money has been put in my account," David Morian said.

He was the harbormaster of Verona's main shipyard and had arranged the transfer of fifteen of the old Colonial Fleet patrol frigates to the Erebea.

The five ships would be scuttled and the loss blamed on some unfortunate accident.

"Your cubits will be there as soon as we take delivery of our new ships," Melati said as she did her best to hide her irritation at the man's greed.

"I don't doubt that it's just that I took a huge risk for you and I want to make sure that my risk is well-compensated."

'You did it for your own greed, you bastard,' Melati thought before saying, "I appreciate the risk you took for me, Mister Morian and I can assure you the money should be there for you even as we speak."

"I had no idea the Erebea had EMP weapons. How were you able to get your hands on those?"

Melati smirked, "I have friends who have friends who are able to get their hands on these kinds of things."

"If you want to brush me off like that it's your choice. Just as long as I get my money you won't have to worry about me for the time being."

"I would prefer that. The last thing I want is for our business arrangement to come to an unfortunate end."

"I don't know who does a better job of threatening people, you or Lydia Zeresi," he said referring to the leader of the Basileus Crime Syndicate on Canceron.

Melati turned on him. "Lydia Zeresi is a crime boss who would sell her own children out for a cubit, and I am a freedom fighter trying to liberate my home colony from an oppressive government. You would be wise to not make that mistake again."

Seeing the look in her eyes he quickly felt his throat tighten with fear, "You don't need me here anymore, I'm going to go to my cabin and take care of some personal matters."

Melati did not notice him leave the ship's bridge. Her thoughts were on the fifteen decommissioned frigates she had acquired and the weaponry that William Savedge could provide to ensure that they were up and running.

**One Week Later:**

**Genesis Orbital Facility, Orbit of Aerilon:**

**Battlestar _Gemenon_, Commanding Officers Quarters:**

Major Arthur Wallace of the Ministry of Intelligence took a drink from his glass and set it down on the desk.

On the large viewing screen in front of him was Captain Leonard Harmon.

He was a fellow MoI officer and one of the people tasked with the _Libran_ mission.

Officially, it was supposed to be Major Evan Windsor delivering the briefing but he had unexpectedly become ill from the food served in the _Libran_'s mess; and for once, it was not Wallace's doing. It appeared as though Windsor had come down with an acute case of food poisoning. Wallace was at least glad that it kept him from having to fake being polite to the man; the two had an antagonistic relationship that showed no signs of moving towards reconciliation.

"I'm glad you could step in for Major Windsor on this debriefing," Wallace said amiably.

While he did have his issues with Windsor, he had no such feelings towards Harmon.

"Glad to be able to, Arthur," Harmon said.

He had worked with Wallace before and was aware of Wallace's preference for people to use his first name.

"Excellent! With that being said, how are things on the task force now that the ships have been repaired?"

"The _Libran _looks as though she's been upgraded considerably from the last time I was on here; the shipyard workers did a fine job. As for the faststars, I have yet to be on them so I can't comment. I can tell you that there has been a shakeup with the faststar task groups. Colonel Baines has been reassigned and has been replaced with a Lieutenant Colonel by the name of Ari Herev. Colonel Mandeville has been promoted to a special rank of Lieutenant Commander and will take overall command of the faststar group."

Wallace saw the hatch to his quarters open and watched silently as a man and a woman entered the room, "Captain Harmon, I need to disconnect the call, but contact me again in forty-five minutes."

"Understood," Harmon said before disconnecting.

"Do you have any updates from Zsuzsi?" Wallace asked the two people who had walked in.

Lieutenants Amado Ramirez and Tasha McKenzie walked up to the desk where Wallace had taken a seat.

McKenzie placed a folder marked "Classified" on the desk.

Wallace began leafing through the folder. "Madelyn Zsuzsi's report. I think that's going to make for a fun read."

"Are you sure you can trust her?" McKenzie asked.

"She did come all the way to Libran to offer us information on the Erebea in exchange for our protection," Wallace said.

Zsuzsi had walked into the MoI building in the city of Crommelin asking for their help.

Wallace had a different plan. If she agreed to stay with the Erebea and take over as Cinta Melati's top lieutenant then, when the mission was over she would be given a new identity and a better life than the one she had on Tauron.

"Looks like the Erebea has something big planned," Ramirez said.

"Yes I was reading that just now, seems she managed to get her hands on fifteen of the old Ryedale class frigates," Wallace said as he scanned the list of ships that were supposed to have been sold for scrap.

The frigates _Kesgrave, Brigham, Leyburn, Kendray, Westberg, Durik, Halsted, Ramsden, Hubbard, Loring, Narbrough, Waldegrave, Balan, Sigsbee_, and _Olwen_ had been sold to the Verona Salvage Company for scrap.

Yet it appeared the ships only arrived on paper if the intelligence reports were to be believed.

The hatch to the room opened again and in stepped Captain Curtis Bond and an older gentleman in the uniform of a Colonial Army general.

"The two of you should go with Captain Bond to the mess for a meal, we can discuss what's in this report later on today," Wallace said to Ramirez and McKenzie.

The two MoI officers promptly left the room with Bond.

Wallace walked over and shook hands with the officer. "It's always good to see you, General Hannibal."

"You as well, Arthur," General Joshua Hannibal of the Colonial Army said.

"I suppose you're here because of the Erebea, I'm getting the pieces in place to take them down."

Hannibal took a seat. "I know you are; I couldn't help but want to see how things are progressing."

"Cinta trusts me and she's accepted my recommendation to replace her recently deceased top lieutenant. The _Libran_ is back in service and soon will start attacking the Erebea. The _Gemenon_ is starting to look like it could pass for a front-line battlestar again. I'd say our work is paying off."

"Stryker always talked about the potential you had; he thought you were capable of great things."

"I know you and he had worked together in the past, and I haven't forgotten why you're involved in this project."

Hannibal nodded, "I lost my family to those pirate bastards, any project that involved eliminating them once and for all is one I'm all for."

Wallace understood how Hannibal felt towards the Erebea.

His wife and kids had been on a transport that been attacked and boarded by Admiral Pierre Renoir and his pirates.

During the initial scuffle, the pirates had fired off their weapons killing most of the people in the passenger cabin.

Since then Hannibal had swore to do everything he could to destroy the organization he held responsible for the deaths of this loved ones.

"The best part was convincing Cinta Melati that her top lieutenant was a traitor, I enjoyed taking down that smug son of a bitch."

"Just how did you pull that off?"

"I created a paper trail and a money trail that both led to certain outposts that the Ministry of Intelligence operates. Granted, Cinta would have been too clever to believe such a thing so you create photographic 'proof' that James Thorn was meeting with MoI officials. We have someone who used to work in the movie industry and he does a great job of making two people appear to be identical twins."

"Very impressive, now is there anything you need me to supply to you?"

Wallace was thankful for having Hannibal on his side.

The general was the head of the Colonial Army Bureau of Weapons Research and Development.

"If you could take some of those old weapons and make them look like they're top of the line experimental technology, I'd be grateful to you."

"I think my people can spruce up those old Cylon War era pieces of junk and make them look like brand new. I take it they're going in the armory onboard this ship."

"That's exactly where they're heading. I want to be able to show Cinta that not only did I get her a fully functional battlestar but I got her some top-of-the-line weaponry for her people to use."

Hannibal nodded, "That would go a long way towards selling your cover story of being a weapons smuggler."

"It beats having to go to the Basileus for help, especially since we turned on them after that rescue mission three years ago."

"You won't hear me complain about that. I was stationed on Canceron near the end of the Cylon War. I'd have rather kept my posting at Fort Hawkins back on Aquaria."

"You're a good soldier, General, and that's what good soldiers do; they follow their orders regardless."

"Normally that's true but if it's a frakwood like Adar giving the orders I'd rather disobey them and be relieved of command like Admiral Kronus."

Hannibal is friend with both Admiral Kronus and Major General Charon 'Hawk' Macgrory; partly because they are all from Leonis.

The nearby console chirped a sound, announcing an incoming video call.

"If you'll excuse me, General, I need to take this call."

Hannibal stood up. "Of course, Arthur. It was good talking with you, I'll head back to Virgon and get started on those weapons you need."

When Hannibal had closed the hatch Wallace hit the 'Accept' button and watched as the video screen came to life.

"I see you decided to change ships," Wallace said to the woman on the screen.

"Commander Mandeville decided to make the _Palaiologos_ his flagship and Major Windsor decided that I should be assigned here as well," Captain Whitney Thompson, Wallace's fiancée and fellow MoI officer, said.

The _Palaiologos_ was one of twelve Clemson class faststars from the Cylon War that had been brought back into service in order to protect the _Libran_ from any weaponry that might be used against it in its shadow war with the Erebea.

Wallace saw that she was in her personal quarters instead of the office space that had been provided on the faststars.

Going by the boxes that were sitting on the mattress behind her it appeared as though she had yet to settle into her new quarters.

"That was awfully nice of Windbag," Wallace grumbled.

He and Evan Windsor had never gotten along in the time that they had known each other, hence why he always referred to the man as 'Windbag' whenever he was having a private conversation with Thompson.

"You know if he ever hears you call him that it's going to escalate to a boxing match."

Wallace's eyes lit up. "Gods, I hope so!"

"I wasn't too upset at being moved to a different ship, the _Robert Smith_ brought back too many memories."

Wallace nodded. "I understand it wasn't that long ago for you. At least you can get settled in and have a better experience on the_ Palaiologos_."

"That's what I'm hoping for; did I call you at a bad time?"

"There's never a bad time when it's you calling me. I actually got back here today after taking care of some business on Aquaria. Have you heard anything about your next destination?"

Thompson looked over a report that was lying on her desk, "We're heading to the Nassau System to have a word with a Lieutenant Colonel Jerrod Stokes. His patrol group encountered five cargo ships that they were about to boarded when his task force lost power due to what it believed to be an EMP weapon. If it's the Erebea then there's a chance we can head in that direction and find out where they're hiding."

"Sounds like a good plan, I'm assuming it was Commander Tattnall that came up with it."

"He did, why do you say that?" Thompson asked though she knew the answer.

"Strategy like that is far above Windbag's capacity for thinking."

"You are incorrigible; I'll talk to you later once I'm settled in." Thompson said as she disconnected the call.

**Battlestar _Gemenon_, Hangar Deck: **

Wallace stepped onto the hangar deck and was surprised by how bright it looked with the newly installed lights.

That, along with the fresh coat of paint applied to the walls, gave it the look of a newly commissioned battlestar. To him it almost seemed a waste that it was all for show.

The Viper Mark IVs were arranged on the hangar also looking as though they had just come off the assembly line.

He saw a man wearing the uniform of a Colonial Fleet officer running his hand alongside one of the Vipers.

"You look like you're admiring the work," Wallace said as he walked up to where the man was standing.

"The last time I saw Mark IVs they were rusting away on Aerilon," the man said and realized he had not introduced himself. "I'm Major Alexander Mason. I was told to report here by Admiral Jennings."

"Major Arthur Wallace of the MoI, I requested you be pulled from the _Libran_ to assist us here on the _Gemenon_."

"I hated giving up my air group; I had worked hard to make CAG."

"I read your service record and believe me I wouldn't have done it if it weren't necessary. You know the _Libran_'s mission is hunting down the Erebea but the Gemenon is another part of that overall plan," Wallace said as he motioned for Mason to follow him.

"The plan is to get the _Gemenon_ back in working order to present it to the Erebea. It's all an elaborate trap though, when they take possession of the ship it's wired to blow up when a signal is sent. The fact is that I need to make sure that the Vipers and Raptors on board are able to fly enough so that they can pass the Erebea's inspection. It's been promised that the Vipers and Raptors, models that have been plagued by handling issues, do not have any problems and can be used right away. I need a pilot to demonstrate such a thing and since you have experience with both and have experience landing on a _Gemenon_ class battlestar, then you'll do perfectly."

"So I've gone from being the CAG of the _Libran_ to the test pilot for the _Gemenon_?"

"In so many words…yes, but I can assure you that when this is over you'll either get the chance to be CAG of another battlestar air wing or you'll get promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and get posted to an assignment most would be envious of."

"Will I need to get that in writing?" Mason joked.

"Nonsense, if I say it will be done then I'll make sure of it."

"I'll take your word on that. It feels strange being here, like I stepped onto a ghost ship version of the _Libran_."

"I imagine it does, I think when we're done with our work she'll look as good as any commissioned battlestar in the fleet."

"I think you're off to good start so far," Mason admitted as he took in the sight of the lifeless hangar deck.

It had Vipers and Raptors but without the deck crew, it just seemed so empty.

"Get yourself settled in and introduce yourself to the crew; I think you'll fit in here nicely Mason. Just so you know, you can call me Arthur; there's no need to be formal onboard the _Gemenon_."

Mason nodded and excused himself.

Wallace stayed on the hangar and went to one of the nearby offices that the Chief would have used had the _Gemenon _been in commission.

He had converted it into a private office for him to use whenever he wanted to be near the hangar.

He closed the hatch behind him and secured it so that no one could walk in on him.

There was a large gun cabinet that he had used as a safe; it had been designed so that hardly anything could break into it.

To improve safety, the cabinet had two locks and each had a different method of being opened.

One was a keypad that required a four-digit access code.

Wallace entered the numbers '1-9-0-8' and saw the red light on the display change to green to show that the combination had been successfully entered.

He then put his hand on the large numbered wheel and spun it to the three numbers to unlock the main lock.

With a clank, the door swung open slightly and Wallace opened it all the way.

He reached into his pocket and produced a small key before opening a small panel that he had built into the bottom of the cabinet.

"There you are," Wallace said quietly as he pulled a large brown folder out of the secret compartment.

This was something he wanted to look over if for no other reason than to remind himself of what his real purpose was for being in the Ministry of Intelligence.

He pulled the document out and began leafing through his pages.

He went back to the first page of the document and began to read it, remembering a promise he had made to Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker.

To the untrained eye, the document had the innocuous title of 'Operation From this wall, we do not retreat! ' and in it explained, in detail, plans to take artifacts of the original Battlestar _Leonidas_, Admiral Stryker's now-scrapped flagship during the Cylon War, and arrange to create a special section of the Stryker Museum on Picon devoted exclusively to the memory of the _Leonidas_.

Operation Every Day was taken from one of the quotes that Admiral Stryker was famous for having said during the Cylon War, 'Every day we stand is another day for Colonies.' It was perfect for a cover and would therefore not create any suspicion in the mind of someone who happened to read the document.

If one delved deeper into the pages of the report, either he or she would discover the plans in place not only to destroy the Ministry of Intelligence but also the eventual overthrow of the Colonial Government.

Wallace had promised Admiral Stryker that he would rid the Colonial Government of the inherent corruption that could lead to its destruction if Adar continued with his plans to weaken the Colonial military.

It was a promise that he would keep no matter who or what got in his way, but if proof of it ever got out he would face the death penalty for treason.

**Nassau System, Nassau Station: **

**Battlestar _Libran_, CIC: **

"Jump completed, we are at Nassau Station," Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg, the _Libran_'s Tactical Officer, announced.

"Excellent, send word to the _Palaiologos_ for Commander Mandeville to meet me onboard Nassau Station," Commander Nicholas Tattnall said to Lieutenant James Ward.

"You're coming with me," Tattnall said to Colonel Susan Minerva, the XO of the _Libran_.

"I don't have an issue with going, but is there a reason why you need me?" she asked. In truth, she was expecting to take command of the ship while he was away.

"I haven't worked with Mandeville that much since this operation began and I'd rather have someone with me whom I trust, and I think having you there will add another pair of eyes that can go over the information."

"In that case I'll be happy to accompany you. Have you heard anything about the new CAG?" Minerva asked.

"We've spoken briefly. With all of the work being done to get both the ship and the air group back up to where they were before the attack there hasn't been much time to sit down and get to know Major Cynthia Shannon."

"I heard good things about her when I talked to my friends on the _Illustrious_."

"When this is over and we have more of an idea about what's going on we'll sit down and get to know her better. I'm eager to see if this is going to lead us to another Erebea outpost. They've been quiet lately."

"We go from having the Erebea trying to kill us to having the New Green Army taking shots at us," Minerva said before adding dryly, "You'd think somebody out there might want us dead."

"Gods help us if the Erebea and the New Green Army ever allied up, there's no telling what kind of havoc they'd inflict on us."

"Let's not think about that too much, at least out here in space we only have to worry about one of the threats. The moment we turned over Tift Fleet Air Station to its new commander, the New Green Army become even less of a concern for us," Minerva said and knew deep down she was glad to be rid of Tift once and for all.

The New Green Army would continue to be a nuisance to the people stationed there. In time, the Colonial Military would bring its power to bear on them and that would be the end of that problem.

"I agree," Tattnall said as he turned from the Command and Control Station, "Let's get on Nassau and talk to Stokes."

"Couldn't agree more," Minerva said as she turned to follow him. As she was catching up to Tattnall, she heard him turn command of the _Libran_ over to Lieutenant Freyburg.

The docked battlestar was his to command until the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer were back onboard.

**Twenty-Eight Minutes Later: **

**Nassau Station, Conference Room 08-D: **

Lieutenant Colonel Jerrod Stokes stood to attention when the hatch opened and _Tattnall_ entered with Minerva following not far behind.

"At ease," Tattnall said and the Colonel relaxed his stance.

"I'm Commander Nicholas Tattnall and with me is Colonel Susan Minerva, my Executive Officer on the Battlestar _Libran_," Tattnall said to get the introductions out of the way and proceed to the point of their meeting.

"It was about a week ago when we encountered something odd out in the Baylor System. We had heard whispers of Erebea activity in the area and the rumors suggested that they were either going to start raiding convoys or that there were going to be weapons smuggled to them by ships passing through the system."

The door to the conference room opened and in walked Lieutenant Imani Farai and Agent Victor Ashfield of the Ministry of Intelligence.

"We apologize for interrupting you but we wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything important."

"I promise we'd have brought you plenty of notes to study," Minerva teased.

"It's not that we don't trust you, but Major Windsor prefers we make our own notes," Farai said almost apologetically.

"I see, and where is Captain Harmon?" Tattnall asked.

"He's in a briefing with Headquarters right now so it fell to us to sit in on this meeting," Farai said and was relieved that it seemed to satisfy both Tattnall and Minerva.

"As you were saying," Tattnall said to Stokes to get the conversation moving again.

"For the longest time there was nothing to report. There was no traffic at all coming through the Baylor System, and for a while there I was beginning to suspect that the reports of Erebea activity were exaggerated."

"That all changed a week ago," Minerva stated.

Stokes nodded, "The DRADIS on the _Moultrie_ picked up five large contacts. At first, I was content to let them pass through, but then it dawned on me that there was a chance these vessels could be smuggling weapons to the Erebea or even the Eastern Alliance. I had messaged the ships my intention to board and search them. They had complied and we started to move in and board. That was when we suddenly lost power. Not only the _Moultrie_, but also the other ships in the patrol group went dark. By the time we got power restored the ships had long-since jumped away."

"That sounds like an EMP weapon was deployed against you," Farai interjected.

"Could the Erebea get their hands on weaponry like that?" Tattnall asked.

"The Erebea does have some financial backing by various people on Tauron," Ashfield added.

"If you are aware of this, is there any way for you to find out who these benefactors are?" Minerva asked.

"Tauron has banking laws in place that are tough to get past, and they have the computer technology to keep our people from trying to break through to the information," Farai said even though she hated having to admit that there were some fields where the MoI fell short.

"Colonel, we're going to leave you to talk with our friends from the MoI," Tattnall said as he and Minerva stood up and left the room.

"Thank you, Commander, we'll let you know when we are ready to head back to the _Libran_," Farai said.

As Tattnall and Minvera headed down the corridor to the ladder to the deck below, they were met by Commander Raleigh Williams, the Commanding Officer of Nassau Station, who apparently seemed interested in their meeting.

"Did you find out anything from talking with Colonel Stokes?" he asked.

"We found out some information, but it's nothing we can share right now," Tattnall said.

"One of my patrol groups lost power after encountering what could be either the Erebea or the Eastern Alliance, I think it's something that should be shared," Williams protested.

"Not that I'm going to tell you what you should do, but you should take some extra precautions just in case. I don't want to start a panic and have you and your people thinking that you're going to be attacked. Truth is we don't know enough about what's going on just yet. For now, our orders are to stay close to here so that we can come to the aid of anyone who needs help," Tattnall said hoping it would be enough to keep Williams satisfied.

"That makes sense; if you'll excuse me I need to meet with my senior staff and go over any precautions we may need to take," Williams said before using a nearby ladder to go up to the deck above.

"I take it we need to have a chat with Fleet Command," Minerva said.

"That's exactly what I intend to do. I get the feeling we're on the trail of the Erebea. When the MoI gives us more information, we can use that to decide where we're going to hit them," Tattnall replied.

"The sooner the better, I've spent the past few months wanting to get a little payback for damaging our ship."

"Come on it wasn't that bad, you did get to spend time with your family while they were fixing up the old girl."

Minerva smiled, "Yes that was true and I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. You had it nice too, from what I recall; you got to go to your place on Picon and even started dating that reporter. Are you and her still together?"

Tattnall nodded, "Yes we are, and I'll probably take her to meet my family whenever we get our next shore leave."

**Twenty-Seven Minutes Later: **

**Battlestar _Libran_, War Room: **

The image of Rear Admiral John Jennings took up most of the screen on the far side of the _Libran_'s war room. He had been in command of Battlestar Group 87 and was based out of Leonis. When it came time for him to rotate to shore duty, he had been selected by Admiral Peter Corman to serve as a liaison between the Colonial Fleet and the Ministry of Intelligence.

"I have just finished looking over your report, Tattnall," he said as he took one last look at the paper on his desk, "You believe that the patrol group was attacked by the Erebea?"

Tattnall nodded. "This has all the hallmarks of the Erebea and it in no way goes with what we know about the Eastern Alliance."

"I take it the Ministry of Intelligence shares your views?"

"Major Windsor is currently sick with food poisoning so Captain Leonard Harmon has stepped in to take charge of the MoI personnel on this mission. He has read the reports and believes that the Erebea are behind the attack on the patrol group in the Baylor System."

"Have you received anything official from Gray about this?" Jennings asked. Gray was the city on Picon where the Ministry of Intelligence was headquartered.

"Nothing yet, but I believe we should be hearing something from them within the hour."

"When you do hear from them you will have the green light to launch an attack against the Erebea. Good hunting, Commander Tattnall," Jennings said.

"Thank you, Admiral," Tattnall said and then the screen went black as the connection was severed.

"This is it, we're about to attack the Erebea," a woman's voice said behind him.

Tattnall turned to see a female officer with Viper wings on her jacket standing at the entrance to the room. He immediately recognized her. Major Cynthia Shannon was the newly assigned CAG for the _Libran_ and had spent the time since coming on getting a feel for the pilots that composed the Battlestar's air wing.

"We have the green light from the Fleet, now we just have to get word from the MoI that everything is in place for us to launch our attack," Tattnall said.

"I admit I didn't expect us to be in battle so soon," she said.

"Not something you learned at Abry?" he asked.

"They drilled a lot of tactics and strategies into our heads, but I don't know if it ever prepares you for actual combat."

Tattnall was quiet for a moment, "Have you ever seen combat before?"

Shannon shook her head, "It's kind of hard to do when you're in peacetime, and this ship is sort of the exception with it being in this shadow war against the Erebea."

"I have faith in your skills, Major; when you're out in battle you'll do fine."

"Thank you, Commander; it's nice to know my CO isn't trying to stab me in the back."

"Did your last CO try to do that to you?"

Shannon turned to leave the room. "Perhaps one day I'll tell you that story."

**Battlestar _Gemenon_, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Wallace looked at the report and at the person on the video screen, "Lieutenant Farai, I take it that this report is your doing?"

Farai nodded, "Captain Harmon gave me the lead on it while he was busy conferencing with the directors."

He smiled at her, "You did well on it, Farai, I must say that if you keep up with work like this I can see you having a promising future."

The flattery seemed to do the trick on her, "Thank you, Major Wallace, I appreciate the vote of confidence."

"Please call me Arthur; I've never been a big fan of protocol."

"Very well then Arthur, do you agree with my findings?"

"Yes I do, the Erebea has become bolder lately and it seems our people on Tauron have discovered shipping manifests that would hint that caches of weapons have found their way into the Erebea's hands. They may have been on the ropes but at the rate things are going, they won't be for long."

"It is a possibility, have our people heard anything that might point to the Eastern Alliance?"

Farai shook her head, "It seemed a possibility but the Eastern Alliance have been quiet lately and they tend to attack large convoys that are of higher value than the ones the Erebea have targeted."

"Looking at the information you sent, I believe you should advise Commander Tattnall to search the Centaurus System for the Erebea. They may very well have a base there that will need to be hit and destroyed."

"I'll let him know right away."

"Excellent, and how is Major Windsor?"

"He's still in sickbay. Doctor Lawson is still not sure when he will be released to return to normal duty. Do you have any messages you want me to give to Captain Harmon?"

"Yes, tell him that he has my utmost faith in commanding the team assigned to the _Libran_ and its task force."

"That won't be a problem, Farai…out," she said and ended the call.

Wallace walked over to a nearby table and fixed a glass of ice water. He slowly drank the clear liquid and enjoyed the refreshing feeling it gave him. His mouth and throat were starting to feel a little dry and the water was just what he needed.

With that done, he set down the glass and walked over to his desk where he entered a number that connected him to a certain person through a secure line.

"Hello, William," Cinta Melati said.

"Hello, Cinta," Wallace said, after this time he had gotten used to the fact that she knew him as 'William Savedge' and not by his real name.

"I hope this is a social call," she said but quickly realized by the look on his face that it was not.

"I wish it were but I have friends in the government who gave me some information that I thought you should know."

The look on her face had changed now and she was all business, "Tell me what you know."

"The Colonial Fleet has figured out where your base is located. I don't know how long you have to clear out but you need to move your forces to one of your backup locations."

"How reliable are your sources?"

"They're reliable enough for me to call and warn you. By this time you should know I wouldn't lead you on with false information."

There was a pause, "I'll contact you once I've reached a backup location."

The call was severed and Wallace pictured her giving rapid-fire orders to her people. Some of them would be left behind or unable to escape before the _Libran_ got there to destroy the base, but at least she would be alive. She would live long enough until the time came for him to kill her and the Erebea.


	8. Chapter 8: Betting It All

**Chapter Eight: Betting It All**

**Mjolnir Anchorage: **

The gas giant Mjolnir was the site of Mjolnir Anchorage, an anchorage dating back to the Cylon War. At this location, there came a series of bright flashes that heralded the arrival of the Battlestar _Libran_ and its task force. The Cylon War-era battlestar and its accompanying faststars had come here for one purpose, to destroy what was believed to be one of the main bases of the Tauron-based pirate group Erebea. It had taken over a year to finally get this far, and if all worked out according to plan then they would strike a damaging blow.

_**Libran**_**, CIC: **

"All ships are on DRADIS," Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg, the _Libran's _Tactical Officer, announced.

"Commander Mandeville is requesting to speak with you," Lieutenant James Ward informed him.

Tattnall picked up the receiver at Command and Control and nodded to his Communications Officer to connect the call.

"This is Actual," Tattnall said after he heard the familiar 'click'.

"Actual, we have received a report from the Ministry of Intelligence. They are sending four troop transports to join us for the attack," Commander Geoffrey Mandeville said. He served as the Commanding Officer of the faststar group that was was responsible for the safety of the _Libran_.

"What are the names of the transports and why are they joining us?" Tattnall asked. He had a natural suspicion of having orders changed so close to the start of a mission. In his mind, there were simply too many variables to factor in too short of a time.

"The _Galilee, Negev, Adurim_, and _Sheridan_ will be joining us. The plan appears to be for them to stay on the outer edges of the battle. Once we've disabled the base's weapons the ships will land boarding parties and secure the base."

Tattnall thought this over, "The higher-ups in Gray must think they can secure new intel on the Erebea. Where are the ships at now?"

"They're at Verona Shipyard being prepped for the mission."

"All right, we'll stay here on the edge of the system and wait. I really wish the MoI would stop trying to change the mission at the last minute."

"I second that, Actual. My ships will be ready to attack when the time comes," Mandeville said before the connection was severed.

"Judging by the look on your face we've had our plans changed," Colonel Susan Minerva said once she walked over to Command and Control.

Tattnall nodded, "It would appear that instead of destroying the base we're simply going to disable the base and allow a boarding party from the MoI to get onboard."

"I think all of this waiting may ratchet up the tension among the crew, we may want to maintain Condition Three until we know we're about to head into battle," Colonel Susan Minerva suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Tattnall said before turning to Freyburg and giving the order to maintain Condition Three.

"You look like you're pondering something," she said to Tattnall.

"I'm going to down to the brig, I need to have a chat with our Erebea friend. You're in charge until I return," Tattnall said before heading out of the CIC.

"Aye, Commander, the XO has the deck," Minerva announced to the CIC.

_**Libran**_**, Brig: **

"You look quite comfortable," Tattnall said to the man in the cell.

Thomas Carr, onetime member of the Erebea, shrugged. "I admit I prefer it here to being at Fort Milledge. Here the only time I get chilled to the bone is when the guards decide they want to turn the air conditioner on full-blast."

"It'd be a shame to let you forget where you could be if you hadn't been made our guest."

Carr shook his head. "That MoI guy wanted me dead; I've heard enough stories about how those people operate."

"Would it scare you to know he intended to kill you?" Tattnall asked and he could not help but notice Carr tense up.

"You're sure of that?"

Tattnall nodded. "He thought it would be more efficient and save the taxpayers' money. Sounded to me like he was talking about gangland justice but I doubt he was mixing the two up."

"I take it you talked him out of killing me," Carr said as more of a statement than a question.

"You could assume that, I had come to the conclusion that you would do more for us as a live information source than as a dead martyr."

"You may find it hard to believe but I'd rather you had let the MoI kill me."

Tattnall folded his arms across his chest, "Why do you say that?"

Carr motioned to the area his prison cell occupied. "This is what my world has been reduced to and it's only marginally better than what I had at Fort Milledge. I'm never going to see the outside of these walls and will never be a free man again."

Tattnall shook his head, "You're not going to be a free man for some time, and it's called 'prison' for a reason. You seem to be forgetting that you were taken off the ship when the _Libran_ was repaired. I checked and they did not send you to Fort Milledge."

"You're right, Commander; they didn't send me back to Fort Milledge. Instead I was sent to a MoI prison in the Soranus Desert."

"Were you hoping they'd release you to Tauron simply on your word that you'd promise to behave?"

Carr shook his head in disgust. "First, they throw me in that frozen dungeon on Caprica, and then they throw me into that blast furnace of a prison on Canceron."

"I'm sure they kept you perfectly hydrated the whole time," Tattnall said before looking at his watch, "Are you done with all of this complaining? Personally, I've about reached my limit as to how much I can stand."

Carr sat down on his bunk and started to lie down on the mattress before saying, "Yeah I think I've vented about all I can. Did you come here for some kind of therapy session for me?"

"Not particularly, I did have a question that I hoped you could help me with asking."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere, so go ahead and ask."

"We're at Mjolnir Anchorage at the moment but when the word to proceed is given we'll jump to the Centaurus System to attack an Erebea base, is there anything you can tell me about it?"

"I had a feeling she was going to use some of Admiral Renoir's bases!" Carr exclaimed.

"At least I can assume you know this base."

"Absolutely; when I first joined the Erebea, this base was one of my first postings."

Tattnall could not help but be interested in what all Carr knew. "Care to enlighten me?"

"Of course, but it's going to cost you."

"You actually want to negotiate?" Tattnall asked after fighting down a laugh.

"Truth is I have been feeling a bit malnourished and the food here in the brig is not really exciting my appetite. How about this, you bring me a menu of the items from the Officers Mess and after I have a satisfying meal I will be happy to tell you every detail I know."

"Does that include dessert?"

Carr smiled. "Isn't that the best part of any meal?"

Tattnall turned to the guard, "Get this prisoner whatever he wants to eat from the mess. Let me know when his appetite is satisfied."

"Commander Tattnall, I underestimated you, it seems you do know how to negotiate."

Tattnall would have used more hardball tactics but this close to the battle he needed every edge he could get. Thomas Carr could have whatever he wanted off the menu but after that he would have to get used to prison food once again.

The guard left to get Carr a menu from the mess so that he could decide what he wanted for his meal.

He reached into his pillow casing and removed a small transmitter that had been smuggled to him by the _Libran_'s intelligence officer. From the moment he had joined the Erebea, Thomas Carr had been living a triple life. He had served as a spy for Colonial Military Intelligence, the military version of the Ministry of Intelligence, and was a part of Major Arthur Wallace's plan to take down the MoI from the inside.

He quickly turned on the transmitter and entered the decryption protocol to activate the secure line. Entering the correct sequences of dots and dashes, he quickly got his message sent off to its recipient before the guard returned. Everything from the last few years had been part of an overall plan. When it was accomplished, he was certain he would be rewarded handsomely.

**Aerilon, Verona Shipyard: **

_**Sheridan**_**: **

**Cargo Hold One: **

The troop transport _Sheridan_ dated back to the Cylon War. When the time had come to decommission the ship and its sisters, the Ministry of Intelligence had purchased them to serve as transports. The _Galilee, Negev, Adurim_, and _Sheridan_ were formerly transport ships with the Colonial Army. When the first ten of the Tomich class transports had been taken out of service, the Ministry of Intelligence had purchased the ships to use for its various classified missions.

Captain John Ashe took the Caprican cigar out of his mouth and pointed towards the base schematics on the view screen, "The plan for this operation is to split the Gladiators up into three squadrons. That will allow us to take the upper, middle, and lower levels of the base. Three of the four ships will be tasked with landing the boarding parties; the fourth will stay back as a command base."

"Are you worried about the remaining crew activating scuttling charges?" Lieutenant Shaylyn Rexana asked. She had been assigned to the Gladiators to serve as a weapons and explosives expert.

Ashe pointed to the area of the schematics where it appeared the base's power plant was located, "According to our intel, the power for the scuttling charges is located in a room that is to the left of the power plant. I want you on the team that secures the lower level so you can get to this room and disable the scuttling charges."

"What if she's not able to?" Dallas Garza asked.

Ashe fixed him with a stern look. "Then it's going to a damn short op. Not to put too much pressure on Lieutenant Rexana but she wouldn't be a Gladiator if she couldn't get the job done."

"Wouldn't it make sense for the _Libran_ to serve as the command base?" Luther Royal asked.

"It's been discussed, but the _Libran_ and the faststars are going to be busy keeping the area secure. If the Erebea show up while the boarding is underway it would create more confusion," Ashe said.

"Who's going to lead the teams?" Yavuz Selim asked.

"I am going to lead Team One and we'll be tasked with the upper levels of the base. Lieutenant Bryant will lead Team Two and her team will be responsible for the middle levels," Ashe said as he looked in the direction of MoI Lieutenant Victoria Bryant who nodded her understanding.

"Who leads the third team?" Jacob Lane asked.

"Sergeant Wren will lead Team Three, and as I mentioned before, the scuttling charges it's important that those are deactivated as soon as possible," Ashe said before adding, "Assignments have been posted on the bulkhead by the hatch you entered this cargo hold through. We leave within the hour; Gladiators, dismissed!"

The Gladiators headed towards the hatch to organize into their assigned teams. Ashe headed through a hatch near where he had addressed his troops. Soon they would be boarding the Erebea base and there was no telling exactly what they would find once they were on there.

_**Palaiologos**_**:**

Ministry of Intelligence Lieutenant Whitney Thompson was doing her third round of pushups in her quarters on the faststar _Palaiologos_. Soon the assault on the Erebea base would begin; she was doing what she did whenever her nerves threatened to get the better of her. She began doing pushups until the nervousness had dissipated so she could focus on the task. She knew the reason why her nerves were on edge so badly and it had to do with the last time she had engaged the Erebea.

At the time, she had been stationed on the faststar Robert Smith and it had taken serious damage during the battle. She had been trapped in a compartment by burning wreckage and she had been worried whether she would survive. Even stepping onto the _Palaiologos_ was a problem at first, especially since it had been a sister ship of the _Robert Smith_, and she was sure there was a part of her mind that made the connection and caused her to feel so uneasy.

A knock on the hatch brought her out of her thoughts. She crossed the room and opened the door. Standing there was Lieutenant Colonel Constantine Pierozzi, the top aide to Commander Mandeville.

"Colonel Pierozzi, is there something I can do for you?" She asked as her breathing began to return to normal. It seemed her pushups had winded her more than she had thought.

"Commander Mandeville wanted me to let you know that we're going to begin the attack within the hour. When can we expect you to join us in the CIC?"

She thought it over and realized that she had an hour to make her way up to the CIC. She would rather be there when the attack began. "I'll be there in half an hour; I have some paperwork to take care of before I leave my quarters."

"I'll let the Commander know," Pierozzi said before turning to leave for the CIC.

Thompson closed the hatch and sat down at her desk to fill out more of the paperwork that only the higher-ups in Gray would ever lay their eyes on.

The phone on the desk began to ring and she answered it expecting it to be Commander Mandeville or one of the other MoI officers with the task force.

"Before you answer, I just have to know if you're wearing something sexy under that gray MoI uniform of yours," Major Arthur Wallace, Ministry of Intelligence officer and her fiancé, said with a strong hint of mischief in his voice.

"I'm sure you're just dying to know," she teased before she realized it sounded as though he was trying to talk over the wind blowing. "Where are you?"

"I'm on Caprica; did you forget me telling you I had to be here for a visit?"

She shook her head, "No, I didn't forget, but why does it sound as though you're in some kind of wind tunnel?"

"I'm on the _Carolina_ with some of the gang for a little excursion."

"I thought the MoI told you the _Carolina_ was unavailable for the foreseeable future."

She heard Wallace laugh and say, "I called in a favor that Director Wolverton owed me and he agreed to let me use the Carolina. I'm telling you, Whitney, this submarine is incredible! You should check out the spacious quarters provided to the Commanding Officer."

She shook her head again. "You must really want to get back in my pants."

"Think of it as a chance to get in some practice before our honeymoon."

"When this is over we'll have to look into that; so where on Caprica are you heading to?"

"A small city called Tzorah, have you heard of it?"

"It was in some reports I remember reading back before I got put on this mission. Is there any particular reason why you're going there?"

"To see a man about a horse," Wallace said knowing that he could not give even his fiancée the reason for why he was taking the _Carolina_ to Tzorah.

"Well, have fun and I'll see you when this is over; love you!"

"Love you, too," Wallace said as the call ended.

She put the receiver back into its cradle and let out a laugh. There a certain quality to him that she liked and it was a large part of the reason why she fell in love with him. Signing the last of her papers, she left her quarters and began making her way to the CIC.

_**Libran,**_** CIC: **

"All departments report that they are ready for action," Minerva said once she had received a report from Tactical.

"Excellent," Tattnall said before turning to Freyburg, "Mister Freyburg, I want you to summon the crew to Action Stations and set Condition One throughout the ship."

Freyburg nodded and picked up the receiver at his Tactical station. "Action Stations! Action Stations! All hands to action stations. Set Condition One throughout the ship."

"It's time for payback," Minerva said as the ship's crew set Condition One.

"I am more than ready for it, the last time we met they got in some lucky shots but this time is going to be different," Tattnall said.

"What about the MoI piggy backing their people onto this operation?" she asked.

"Seems like a waste of time to me; if anything it's more of a handicap to us. We should be blasting the base into oblivion with our weapons but now we have to pick our shots and disable the station's defenses so their people can board the station and get intel that they think could make this shadow war easier to fight."

"Well, do you think it could be helpful?" Minerva asked.

"In the end our orders are to kill these Tauron bastards so if that's our endgame then does it really matter what we learn?"

**Caprica, Helenus Sea:**

**Ministry of Intelligence Submarine **_**Carolina**_**, CIC: **

"How much longer until we reach Tzorah?" Wallace asked the _Carolina_'s navigator.

"We should be there in a couple of hours barring anything catastrophic," Lieutenant Charlotte Lockhart said as she looked over the map of the shipping lanes for the Helenus Sea.

"Have you mapped out the best course for us to take when we near the coast?"

Lockhart nodded. "When we reach the coast of Egeria we can head north to Fortuna Bay. Storms are common this time of year so if one was to hit we can be sheltered from it by the bay."

"Is there a chance of us running into a storm?" Wallace asked. The truth was that he had only glanced over the weather reports.

She motioned to a nearby monitor showing the large circular formation of a hurricane. "Say hello to Hurricane Mestra."

"Heading straight for Tzorah by the looks of it," Wallace said as he studied the projected path of the hurricane and saw that it was on a direct course for the city that he was planning on visiting.

"Exactly, I don't know why it's so important we go to Tzorah but I hope it's going to be worth it."

"Believe me it is going to be worth it, especially if this source pans out," Wallace said. He had kept the details of the mission secret for the most part. Only a select few knew the real reason why they were going to Tzorah.

"We're going to need to go up to periscope depth, there's an incoming transmission," Lieutenant Elizabeth Elbra.

"Take us up to periscope depth," Wallace ordered.

"Taking us up to periscope depth," Lieutenant Maurice Price acknowledged.

When the submarine reached periscope depth Wallace grabbed the receiver. "This is Wallace."

"Arthur, how are things on your end?" Darrell 'Tank' Robinson asked.

"We're making our way there; hopefully it won't be longer than a couple of hours. Where are you?"

"The three of us are here in Aredvi waiting for you, Fortuna Bay looks peaceful for the time being but with that hurricane coming this way there's no telling how long that will last."

"What are Heavy and Little Tank doing?" Wallace asked. David and Derrek Robinson were Tank's brothers and were respectively known as 'Heavy' and 'Little Tank'.

"They're making their way here with our contact from Tzorah. When they arrive I can see if our new friend is on the level about what he's claiming."

"Here's to hoping, the intel we gather could be useful for dealing with the Erebea," Wallace said.

"That's your opinion, Arthur; to me the whole thing is too good to be true. By the way, Little Tank asked if you've tried to seduce the women on the submarine yet."

"I'm an engaged man, Tank, if Whitney thought I was cheating on her it would not end well for me."

"I couldn't agree more, we'll see you when the _Carolina_ arrives," Tank said before the line went dead.

"Is there anything else I need to know before we dive?" he asked Price.

"A message came in for you while you were talking to your friend," Price said as he handed a message that had just printed.

Wallace took the paper and looked over it. "That's reassuring."

Price was puzzled. "May I ask what is so reassuring?"

Wallace folded the paper and put it into his pocket. "A contact of mine that has been a useful asset to me. It's just a reminder to let me know that his cover is secure and is in no danger of being blown."

Truth was that the man known as 'Thomas Carr' was in fact an alias of Colonial Military Intelligence agent Adam Kasia, and the report told him more than just the fact that his cover had not been blown. The information contained in that message was something he was not about to share with anyone inside the Ministry of Intelligence.

"I'm glad that your asset is still uncompromised then. In our field that qualifies as good news."

"Indeed it does. Prepare to dive. I want us as deep as you can get us," Wallace said before he turned to leave the CIC.

"I'll let you know if anything develops," Lieutenant Olena Kyrylenko said.

**Erebea Base, Shuttle Bay One: **

"Admiral, there's no more time to waste, if we don't get out of here soon the Colonial Fleet will have our escape blocked," one of the members of her personal guard said as he motioned for her to hurry through into the escape shuttle.

"I feel like I'm running away like a coward," Cinta Melati, the Admiral of the Erebea, said as she stepped through the hatch that led to the interior of the shuttle.

"If you think about it, we're escaping so we can live to fight another day," Armas Lehtonen said in an attempt to find a silver lining.

"That may be the case but it doesn't mean I have to like it," Melati said as she took a seat with four of her personal guard nearby, "I know we're leaving some of our people behind, if we're lucky they will take some of these Colonials with them."

"Have you thought about using some of our ships as bombs? If they can get close enough to the enemy before they explode then that would hurt them somewhat," Lehtonen said.

"That is a battlestar and its escort vessels, any ships of ours would be torn to shreds before they could get close enough. The ships we would need are at Muta," she said in reference to the anchorage near the Red Line where the Erebea kept its warships.

"Admiral, I'm disengaging the docking clamps. Jump will proceed in 5,4,3,2,1…," the pilot said as the shuttle pulled away from the base and jumped to one of the fallback locations.

**Nineteen Minutes Later:**

_**Libran**_**, War Room:**

"Who's coming to meet us?" Commander Geoffrey Mandeville asked. The thirty-seven year old officer was looking at the arrangement of the ships and the Erebea base setup on the War Room's center table.

"Captain Ashe is coming over from the _Sheridan_ and my CAG is going to be joining us as soon as she's done conferring with the squadron leaders," Tattnall said. He was still getting a feel for his new CAG, Major Cynthia Shannon. She had been assigned to his ship recently when the officer she replaced, Major Alexander Mason, had been reassigned.

The hatch opened and in stepped Ashe with two Marines accompanying him, "Commander Tattnall, I hope you only had these Marines with me in case I got lost."

"It's a big ship Captain, I didn't want to take any chances," Tattnall said. Truth was he felt uneasy about having someone he did not know wandering around the _Libran_ unescorted.

"I have been spending time on the _Gemenon_ so you don't have to worry about me not knowing my way around this ship, the two are virtually identical," Ashe responded with a tone of voice that would lead a person to believe he did not believe Tattnall's reason for an escort.

"Since we have yet to make introductions, I am Commander Nicholas Tattnall and I'm in command of the_ Libran_. With me is Commander Geoffrey Mandeville and he is in charge of the faststar group. Joining us will be my CAG, Major Cynthia Shannon."

"I'm Captain John Ashe and I'm with the Ministry of Intelligence, anything else is classified above your pay grade, Commanders."

"So I've learned since the MoI came into my life," Tattnall said before adding, "I was told by Captain Harmon that you will be leading the boarding party onto the station once we've disabled its defenses."

Ashe nodded. "My people are going to stay off on the sidelines until the two of you have made it safe for us to board. If you put in the kind of performance you did last time you encountered the Erebea then I might as well turn my ships around and head back to Aerilon."

"If you're referring to the Erebea disabling the _Libran_ and some of the faststars that was a fluke, you don't worry about disabling the base's defenses. Just focus on your part of the job. There's no reason to worry about us holding down our end," Tattnall responded perhaps a bit more hotly than he had intended. Ashe's words had carried the accusatory tone that implied the damage to the _Libran_ was not just because the Erebea scored a lucky hit.

"You're forgetting that I have to worry about your job because if you don't perform like you're needed to then we don't get to board that station and then the whole mission is for nothing. I don't know how you feel about losing people but I can assure you I don't want to lose more than I have to. I'd prefer it if I didn't lose any of my team," Ashe shot back.

"In a perfect world you would never lose one of your people but in our business casualties are inevitable," Tattnall said and he would have said more but it was then that the hatch to the room opened again.

"I've briefed the squadron leaders and they are ready to go as soon as the order is given," Major Cynthia 'Scorch' Shannon said once she entered the War Room.

"Major Shannon, allow me to present Captain John Ashe from the Ministry of Intelligence," Tattnall said and watched as Ashe simply nodded his head in her direction.

"A pleasure to meet you, Captain, my pilots will be providing cover for your transports when it comes time for you to board," Shannon said.

"How do you plan on doing this?" Ashe asked.

Tattnall pressed a button and a holographic display came to life on the table. In red was the holographic projection of the Erebea base. The _Libran_, the faststars, the transports, and the _Libran_'s air group were displayed in blue.

"I've been crunching the numbers and I can spare two squadrons of Vipers to cover your approach as well as a squadron of Raptors if you feel as if you need them. The rest of the air group can support the faststars in their attack on the base as well as help provide cover for the _Libran_ so that no missiles will get through and hit the ship this time," Shannon said and she noticed Tattnall's face flush slightly at hearing the last part of her comment.

"I'm glad you have thought it out, Major," Ashe said before turning his attention to Tattnall and Mandeville, "How will your ships be deployed?"

"The plan is to split the faststar group up," Mandeville said as he began to separate the twelve holographic projections of his faststars into three groups of four. "I'm going to have one group stay with the _Libran_ to provide protection for the ship while my other two groups will form a pincer movement that will allow us to concentrate on the flank while the _Libran_ comes up the middle and brings its guns to bear on the base.

"I think with the firepower we can bring to the fight will overpower whatever the Erebea throws at us," Tattnall said.

"You're acting as though this will be some sort of cakewalk, are you sure you're not underestimating the Erebea? Seems to me they've gotten more hits on you than you have on them," Ashe said. The truth was that he believed they had the right plan but he felt the need to see if he could poke holes in their plan to see if they could refine it further or alter it if necessary.

"We've spent time working on this plan and when we attack it will go as we planned and if it doesn't we'll be able to adapt and get the job done," Mandeville said before Tattnall had a chance to respond.

"If you feel that strongly about it then we'll see how it plays but I'll be keeping an eye on how this battle develops, and you can rest assured I will not deploy my people until I know for a fact that the Erebea has been neutralized and that base can be boarded. My people will need about two to three hours to make our final preparations for the battle. I'll send word to your ship when you can begin the attack. You can leave your Marines here, I can find my own way to the hangar deck," Ashe said and he turned and walked out of the hatch.

"What a jackass," Mandeville said after a few moments of silence.

"I couldn't agree more," Tattnall added.

"I'm heading to the hangar once I get my flight suit on, don't worry about my pilots and I…we won't let you down out there," Shannon said before she too was gone.

"Well, Commander, I think I'll have you fly in a separate Raptor back to the _Palaiologos_. Something tells me you wouldn't want to be in the same Raptor with Captain Ashe," Tattnall said.

"A very astute observation," Mandeville said as he left the War Room to make his way down to the hangar deck.

Tattnall put his hands on the table and let out a deep breath. He would not admit it but he had to battle his nerves when it came to this battle. The last time he had led the _Libran_ into battle it had not gone well for the ship and its crew and here he was again about to put his ship in harm's way. With two or three hours to go until the battle began, there was plenty of time for him to reflect on what was to come. While he at times had an uncertain feeling about the existence of the gods, he hoped that if they were real then perhaps they would smile favorably upon him and his ship.

**Two Hours and Twenty-Six Minutes Later: **

**Caprica, Helenus Sea:**

**Ministry of Intelligence Submarine **_**Carolina**_**, CIC: **

The submarine was starting to roll a bit less now even though the waves of the Helenus Sea pounded against the hull of the Carolina. The order had recently been passed down to bring the vessel to the surface so that it could make the transit into Fortuna Bay. At first, it seemed as though the order was a mistake as the effects of the oncoming hurricane were starting to make a noticeable impact on the area. Wallace had hoped that the closer they got to Fortuna Bay the easier the sea would be on the submarine. It was appearing that he was wrong.

"Charlotte, come up with me to the conning tower. I want to be with you when you bring us in to dock at Aredvi," Wallace said as he began to climb the ladder that would lead up to the navigation bridge at the top of the conning tower.

"Right behind you," Lockhart said as she began to climb up the ladder behind Wallace.

When the two got to the top of the conning tower Lockhart immediately closed the hatch and secured it.

"Would you look at that?" Wallace said as he looked out onto the horizon to the east.

"Gods," Lockhart exclaimed before adding, "You'd think only Aquaria would have storms that size."

Off to the east was a huge wall of darkness that could have only been the hurricane. If they could get their ship secured at a dock in Fortuna Bay then they should be fine. If they were unable to then it would provide an unexpected adventure.

"Remind me again, what part of Aquaria you're from?" Wallace asked in hopes the small talk would keep Lockhart focused.

"I grew up in Fort Hawkins," she said as she affixed the wheel to the conning station and transferred control to it so she could maneuver the submarine into place, "My parents worked for Penegor Communications."

"Did you go to college on Aquaria or one of the other colonies?" Wallace asked. As best he could tell it was one thing to navigate a submarine during ideal conditions but another to try to navigate with a hurricane bearing down.

"I went to Rutherford College in Port Leopold, it was there when the MoI recruited me," she said as she kept her gaze focused on the entrance to Fortuna Bay. This narrow entrance would prove to be the challenging part.

Wallace was quiet for a moment before he said, "I'm going to head back down to my quarters. Do you want me to send one of the crew up there to keep you company while you pilot the ship into the harbor?"

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I have this under control. If I need any help I'll hit the button and someone will come to check on me."

Wallace smiled and patted her on the shoulder before opening the hatch and descending the ladder. None of the crew said a word as he made his way past them and through the hatch that led back to the rear of the ship.

He quickly entered the combination that opened the door to his quarters. With the classified materials he kept with him at all times, it was necessary to provide an added security measure in case any of the crew decided to get curious. Wallace sat down on the bed and took the note he had received earlier out of his pocket. As he scanned the document, he thought about what was about to unfold out at the Erebea base where the _Libran_ and its battle group would undoubtedly begin their assault soon.

Whitney would be among the faststars taking part in the battle. His fiancée was a dedicated Ministry of Intelligence officer and believed her actions with the agency were for the betterment of the Twelve Colonies. She was loyal to the MoI, and he could tell how proud she was to be a part of it every time she spoke about her assignment with the _Libran_ force. In his case, loyalty to the MoI could not have been further from the truth. He was a man on a mission and that mission would be the ultimate demise of the Ministry of Intelligence. Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker had given the task to him in the time shortly before the venerable flag officer had shuffled off the mortal coil. Major Arthur Wallace, Ministry of Intelligence officer, was a cover to keep the agency's higher-ups from becoming suspicious of him. Everything involved with the MoI was a part of his cover, and in his mind, he knew his relationship with Whitney would be a part of that cover.

He cared about her and worried for her safety, but in the back of his mind there was a small thought that nagged away at him and no matter how hard he tried to push it away it came back to him. Did he truly love her or was he just using her as a part of the elaborate ruse he was running? In a way, he knew the answer and he knew she would not like what it was. He lay there on the bed after putting the message away and thought back to the journey that had taken him to where he was now. Perhaps in another dimension he would be in the Colonial Fleet instead of the Ministry of Intelligence. Just what kind of life would he have compared to this one?

He was not sure how long he was there on the bed but he heard the engines stop and the motion of the hull cease as the _Carolina_ came to a stop. There was no need for the crew to rouse him from the cabin, he got off of his bunk and splashed some cold water from the sink onto his face before making his way out of the room heading up to the conning tower. He got up to the tower and saw the crew had already landed on the dock to secure the submarine to its moorings.

He was about to call out to the crew when he felt a sharp sting at the base of his neck. His hand reached up and pulled out a dart. He stared at it and then saw the submarine's crew begin to stagger and fall down to the ground. He tried to call out to them but a sudden dizziness began to take over and he felt incredibly disoriented. He fell back against the conning tower and barely managed to avoid falling through the hatch and crashing to the deck below. He stared up at the sky and watched the clouds as his field of vision blurred further before fading away into the blackness of unconsciousness.

_**Libran**_**, CIC: **

"Commander, all ships are reporting that they are prepared to jump," Ward announced.

"Excellent, Mister Freyburg prepare for our jump. Begin jump countdown…now!" Tattnall ordered and watched as Freyburg announced to the crew to prepare for the imminent jump.

"Time for some payback," Minerva said with a smile on her face that showed how excited she was to finally get to attack the Erebea.

"Exactly, and this time we're not going to have to put into the yard for eight months of repair and refit," Tattnall said confidently.

Ten seconds later the _Libran_ and the other vessels at Mjolnir Anchorage vanished in a series of flashes; their next stop, the Centaurus System, would bring them into conflict with the Erebea.


	9. Chapter 9: Line of Duty

**Chapter Nine: Line of Duty**

**Caprica, City of Tzorah:**

"Come on and wake up, I didn't think you'd be such a lightweight," a woman's voice said.

"Just how much of the tranquilizer did you shoot him with?" another woman's voice asked.

"It was enough to make sure he got transported here without waking up," the other woman said.

Major Arthur Wallace of the Ministry of Intelligence stirred and began to come to life as his mind attempted to clear the mental fog that had enveloped it. "What happened?"

"The plan didn't quite go according to plan," the voice of the first woman he had heard said as she knelt down beside where Wallace was lying on the floor.

"I thought the plan was for you to use blanks when you shot at us," Wallace said as he sat up and felt the sore spot on his neck where he had been shot.

"Yeah about that; seems we used the tranquilizer rounds instead of the blanks. We were in a hurry and we grabbed the wrong ones. You were only supposed to be out for a couple of hours, but it appears you got the full dose," she said.

"Carmen, please tell me it was worth it," Wallace said wearily. Carmen Bayonet was a recent acquaintance but if he was to make the extraction of the Erebea agent from Tzorah work he would need her help.

Bayonet smirked at him. "Would you honestly expect any less of me? Especially in light of what you're offering me, there was no way my team wouldn't get the job done."

"Where are Tank and Heavy?" Wallace asked. Brothers Darrell and David Robinson were two of his most trusted associates. Darrell, known as Tank, was Wallace's friend, going all the way back to their high school days on their Aquaria. David had been given the nickname 'Heavy' and was as loyal to Wallace as Tank was.

"They're in the next room. The rest of my team is in the other room that adjoins this one. As for your two friends, they had a larger dose of the tranquilizer so there's still time before they wake up," Bayonet said.

"I hope you're right; they won't be too happy about being knocked out. Did you at least let Little Tank get away?" Wallace asked. Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson was the youngest of the Robinson brothers and served as Wallace's Raptor pilot. He did not have the same loyalty as his brothers; instead focusing on the financial benefits that would come his way.

"That was part of the plan, wasn't it?" Bayonet asked.

"Yes it was, he's out ticket out of here," Wallace said. With Little Tank waiting to pick them up it was just a matter of sending him a message to let him know they were ready for extraction.

There was a loud banging on the wooden door and it shook violently with each hit. Both Wallace and Bayonet looked stunned as they heard a series of angry shouts.

"I take it your friends woke up," Bayonet said.

"They may not be in as good of a mood as I am," Wallace replied quickly as he got on his feet and started towards the door.

As the two rushed to the door there was a sudden loud crack as wood splintered and the heavy door broke apart and fell to the ground. Standing there were Tank and Heavy with looks on their faces that left little to no doubt about how angry they were.

"I knew I should have given them a heavier dose," Bayonet muttered.

"You're going to regret that!" Tank bellowed as he and his brothers began to advance.

"That's enough!" Wallace called out as he got in Tank's path.

"She tried to kill us!" Tank argued.

"Nonsense, we hit you with a heavy tranquilizer that put you in a deep sleep," one of the group of women said from the doorframe. The door that led to the other adjoining room had silently slid open in the commotion.

"She's right," Bayonet said before adding, "If we wanted to put an end to your lives we could have done it easily enough."

"Why did you even do it to begin with?" Heavy asked.

"If you would let go of your anger for even a second Carmen could explain it," the woman standing in the doorframe said.

"Who the frak is Carmen?" Heavy asked.

"That would be me," Bayonet said as she stepped from behind Wallace. "I'm Carmen Bayonet and the women you met are part of my group, the Furies, so now that you know that let me explain a few things to you."

"Good because I have a long list of questions for you," Tank said.

Bayonet did not seem too worried about his tone of voice as she continued, "We are a group of former members of the Tzorah Police Department. We realized that the corruption in the police ran too deep for any of us to make a difference while we wore a uniform so we resigned and became vigilantes. We go after the criminals that are protected by the Mayor or the Chief. During a raid against one of the minor gangsters in the city we apprehended a man by the name of Olen Noric. After some gentle questioning he confided that he was a member of the Erebea and was willing to give information on the group in exchange for his life."

Wallace jumped into the conversation. "My sources in Tzorah had already mentioned that Noric was a soft target that could be turned against the Erebea. When I heard he had been captured, I reached out to Carmen and made her a deal. She would hold onto Noric and keep him safe until I could arrange to transport both him and the Furies out of Tzorah."

Tank looked at Bayonet skeptically. "Now if you're so determined to clear your name why are you and your women so eager to get out of here?"

"Because the Mayor and the Chief of Police are both corrupt and in league together. The net is closing in on us and we have come close to being caught several times," Bayonet said.

"The incident at Fortuna Bay was a cover so that Mayor Bowers and Chief Palma would believe that the Furies had taken prisoners during a deal that had gone bad, something that they tend to do as vigilantes," Wallace said before adding, "The Furies were supposed to have used blanks when they fired at us but instead used tranquilizer darts and that caused some complications for the plan."

"Arthur, you knew about this?" Tank asked.

"We'll talk about it later," Wallace replied.

"Would you really do something like that?" Heavy asked.

"We'll talk about it later," Wallace repeated.

There was a noise upstairs of glass breaking and doors slamming open followed by muffled shouts.

"That can't be good," Wallace said.

Bayonet shook her head. "It's not good; it appears Bowers has tracked us down."

"Are we going to fight our way out?" Tank asked.

Bayonet shot him a sly grin. "No, but they're going to regret barging in like that."

"What crazy stunt do you have in mind?" Heavy asked.

"Alexis, we're initiating the Silas Protocol," Bayonet said to the woman standing in the doorframe.

Alexis Mariner immediately ran to a nearby cabinet and pressed a button. "We should have about ten minutes to get out of here."

"What's the Silas Protocol?" Wallace asked.

"This building wasn't always abandoned; it was a warehouse where Silas Chemicals stored products before they were shipped out to stores. We've set the building to explode if we were ever discovered. We can get Noric and ourselves out of here through a secret passage and come out near the docks," Bayonet said before she started giving orders to the other women in the group.

"When this is over we are going to have a talk about you knocking me out," Tank said to her.

Bayonet turned around and looked him in the eyes. "You and I can sort this out later but right now I'd rather get all of us out of here before those goons find us."

Minutes later Heavy and Tank were carrying a still unconscious Oren Noric through the secret passage.

"How do you plan to keep them from finding us?" Wallace asked.

"That door blends into the wall seamlessly, and I'm about to seal it shut," she said as she entered a number combination of a nearby keypad.

"What about the _Carolina_?" Tank asked.

"They have a note from Major Wallace telling them to wait for us; his signature was easier to forge than I thought it would have been," Bayonet said.

"You do realize that they were going to leave anyway," Wallace said before adding, "Little Tank was our actual way out of here. The _Carolina_'s crew did not receive the password to stay so they left, which works to our advantage. I'm sure any spies would think we're trapped here even though we have a Raptor ready to take us away.

"You conveniently left that part of the plan out," Bayonet said.

"I'll schedule you in after I have my talk with Tank," Wallace quickly replied.

"This tunnel runs a long way, we have a long haul," Bayonet said after realizing that talking to Wallace would have to wait.

"Not necessarily," Wallace said before adding, "I suggested this building as your headquarters for a reason."

"Yes, you mentioned the secret passage that runs to the docks," Bayonet said.

"There's more to this than you realize. This warehouse was used by the Ha'la'tha during the days before the Cylon War, there's a transport train hidden further down that will take us to another section of the docks where there aren't many people to see us," Wallace said.

"If you can find that train then we'd be fools to not use it," Bayonet said as she stepped aside to let Wallace lead the group.

Wallace pulled out an encrypted mobile phone and quickly sent a message to Little Tank to meet them at their new location. "Let's get moving."

In the industrial section of Tzorah there was a large explosion of fire and debris as the former Silas Chemicals Warehouse was destroyed. Officially it would be blamed on trapped chemical vapor that had somehow ignited when the power to the building was turned back on. Unofficially, the Mayor and Chief of Police knew that it was a part of their ongoing war with the Furies.

**Seventeen Minutes Later: **

**Tzorah, City Docks, A. D. Thomson Transport: **

The old section of the Tzorah docks had belonged to the A. D. Thomson Transport Company. The company was out of business now, but the current owners refused to sell for less than they believed was the ideal price. As a result, the docks were now abandoned and free from prying eyes. It was here that Derrek Little Tank Robinson kept an eye on his civilian model Raptor and waited for the people he would be transporting.

"What kind of mess has Arthur gotten me into this time?" Little Tank said with disgust as he went through another series of checks to make sure that the Raptor was in optimal condition for flying. He looked out at the sea and saw the dark clouds of a storm on the horizon.

He knew his brothers would follow Arthur Wallace in whatever venture he was involved, no matter what was asked of them. He most certainly did not share their enthusiasm; in his eyes as long as the pay was good he would do what was needed and keep his opinions to himself. He was sure Wallace was aware of his feelings but must have figured that as long as his pilot did his job then there was nothing to worry about.

It did not mean he had to like where he was though. He had spent time on Caprica, but had never come to the city of Tzorah or the area of the continent where it was located. He had felt a sense of unease from the moment he stepped out of his Raptor and onto the ground, and he was not sure if it was some sort of instinctual response or the reports he had read on the city. He had the feeling of being watched and if this city's government and police department was as corrupt as the reports said then he was probably under surveillance. Being so exposed out here in the open sent a cold shiver down his spine.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not immediately notice the opening of a door at the far edge of one of the abandoned storehouses. The large metal door made a large clanking sound as it was rolled away to allow the people behind it to exit the building.

"Little Tank, fire up the Raptor!" Wallace called out as he walked out of the building at a casual pace.

"I'm on it!" Little Tank said as he turned to climb back into the Raptor. It was then that he heard a distinct sound of the ground where splintering as a bullet made impact where he had stood.

"Someone's shooting at me!" Little Tank yelled as he backed away more quickly towards the Raptor.

"Double time it people!" Wallace yelled as more bullets began to ping the ground near them.

Little Tank made it into the Raptor and began to start the engines, he had no intention of taking longer than he had to in order to get away from this gods-forsaken place.

He did not have to wait long as the group quickly jumped into the Raptor and crashed to the compartment floor.

"Get us out of here!" Wallace ordered.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Little Tank said as he got the Raptor off the ground and quickly ascended into the Caprican sky. He felt the Raptor's body take a decent amount of bullets that were fired into it, but felt thankful that it was not having any ill effects.

**Erebea Transport Ship**_** Isen**_**: **

The transport ship _Isen_ was a relic from the days before the Cylon War, a ship that the Tauron military had used for transporting soldiers to whatever conflict they would be needed to take part in. Back when the Erebea first came into being, the _Isen_ had been turned into what was essentially a personal yacht for the group's leader. Cinta Melati had inherited it from Admiral Pierre Renoir after his death when she had taken over as leader of the Erebea.

Melati's shuttle had abandoned the base and docked with the _Isen_. As Admiral of the Erebea Melati's word was law and she had insisted on keeping the _Isen_ on the far edge of the system so she could witness the destruction of the group's base. She knew that there were Erebea soldiers staying behind. They would sacrifice their lives so that they could take down as many of the Colonial military personnel as they could. Now here she was in the starboard observation lounge watching as one battlestar, twelve faststars, and four troop transport vessels came into view. She knew some would argue with her reasons for staying to watch but she wanted to both honor the sacrifice of her people and keep the images of the Colonial Fleet destroying one of her stations burned into her mind to fuel the hatred in her heart.

"The Colonial Fleet has jumped into the system," Armas Lehtonen said.

"Admiral, may I suggest we leave right away," Madelyn Zsuzsi, her new second-in-command, recommended.

Melati shook her head. "No, I owe it to those brave souls on that base to watch their sacrifice."

"If I may interject, the longer we stay here the more likely we are to be seen. I'm sure we've got to be on their DRADIS by now," Lehtonen said.

"We'll be safe here; they're too concerned to worry about us," Melati countered.

"I have to agree with Armas," Zsuzsi said.

Melati shook her head. "It's an insult to them for me to not stay here and watch until the end."

"I'm your second-in-command, and you know I would never try to steer you wrong. You want to honor those sacrifices then the best thing you can do is jump away and prepare for the next confrontation. Otherwise, you could be killed and they could have died for nothing!" Zsuzsi pleaded.

"You may want to turn and run from the Colonial Fleet but I refuse to do so, if they want to come after me then I will stay right here and dare them to try!" Melati declared.

"Admiral, I know you don't want to do this but it's for the best. If you die here then who will take over the Erebea?" Lehtonen asked.

"Someone will take over, there will always be someone waiting in the wings to fill the vacuum left behind," Melati said.

"You know as well as I do, there is not one of the higher ups of Tauron blood who have what it takes to lead us," Zsuzsi said.

"There may be those who can inspire confidence in time," Melati retorted.

"Yes there could be, but right now the Colonial Fleet is trying to destroy us and time is not a luxury we can afford," Lehtonen said in hopes that he could get through to Melati.

"Damn them for putting me in this situation," she muttered under her breath as she saw the Colonial Fleet ships begin to get in what she assumed to be attack formation.

"There is no shame in leaving; at least you can be guaranteed to live to fight another day," Zsuzsi said.

There was a long pause as Melati's mind fought over what the next course of action would be. She realized that both Zsuzsi and Lehtonen were right and she was needlessly putting their lives in danger. Then the other part of her mind argued that what she wanted to do was the only correct and proper action and that as a leader she needed to set an example.

Finally she said in a resigned voice, "Jump the ship."

**Faststar **_**Palaiologos**_**, CIC:**

The small circular CIC of the _Palaiologos_ looked claustrophobic in comparison to the CICs of larger warships, but none of the crew at their stations seemed too concerned about this. Ministry of Intelligence Captain Whitney Thompson thought this over as she walked across the back end of the CIC and entered a room that was designed for a flag officer. The _Palaiologos_ and a select group of the Clemson class had been modified while under construction to serve as flagships for the faststar task groups that operated in packs during the Cylon War. Right now this room was where Commander Geoffrey Mandeville would command his twelve faststars during the battle.

Thompson entered the room and saw Mandeville in conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Constantine Pierozzi, the Commanding Officer of the _Palaiologos_.

"Am I interrupting something?" Thompson asked.

Mandeville quietly said something and Pierozzi turned and left the room without saying a word.

"No, Ms. Thompson, just doing some last-second logistical checks before we start the battle," Mandeville said.

"Are the faststars ready?" she asked.

Mandeville let out a chuckle and shook his head. "Do you really think I'd put my ships in harm's way if they weren't?"

"Fair enough, I guess I'm a little jumpy after what happened last time," Thompson said. The last time she had been on a faststar engaging the Erebea she had been on the _Robert Smith_ when it had sustained serious damage. She was injured in the attack and in the back of her mind she was still nervous when she was on one of these types of ships.

"Understandable, there's been some last minute tweaking of the battle plan but it should all work," Mandeville said as he looked over one of the papers arranged in front of the desk where he was standing.

"Anything I need to worry about?" she asked.

Mandeville shook his head. "We're just going to split up the faststars into three groups. Two groups are going to form a pincer and attack from the sides while the _Libran_ is going to go up the middle and use its guns and Vipers to hit the base head on."

"Will that pave the way for the Ministry transports to board the station?" she asked.

"That's the idea we're going with," Mandeville said before continuing, "The Vipers and faststars will provide enough cover for the transports to safely board. According to the intelligence reports your people gave us, the Erebea have a minimal amount of armament on this particular base so any damage we take should be minimal."

"You sound confident this is going to work," Thompson said.

Mandeville smiled at her. "I'm sure in every battle the planners on both sides did what they could to get the best result. We've planned as best we could; now it's just a matter of putting it into action and seeing what the fates have in mind for us."

"If I may ask, how many losses are you going to consider acceptable?"

"Ms. Thompson, I know that there will be losses and I'm prepared for that. However, if I had my way, this battle will go in such a way where we don't lose one person."

"You know as well as I do that it's the inevitable part of conflict," Thompson said.

Mandeville nodded, "Yes it is, and as the officer in charge of the faststars it weighs on me."

"You seem to be more negative than I imagined you would be. You have a battlestar and twelve faststars leading a team of ex-military MoI officers to take out a major Erebea base. When you think about it, you really do have the upper hand."

"Maybe it's just my instincts telling me that there's something wrong. By all rights this should be an easy victory for us, we should be able to knock out those defenses and take that base over. Something just tells me it's not going to be that easy."

Thompson wanted to argue more but simply said, "I hope you're not offended when I say that I want your instincts to be wrong."

**Battlestar **_**Libran**_**, CIC: **

"And away we go…" Commander Nicholas Tattnall said as he looked up at the DRADIS screen above Command and Control.

"We've talked about getting payback, now here's our chance," Colonel Susan Minerva observed.

The two officers' eyes were fixed on the movement of the twelve Clemson class faststars moving into the pincer formation that Commander Geoffrey Mandeville had envisioned during the strategy sessions leading up to the battle. The _Libran_ and its Vipers would plow a way for the Ministry of Intelligence troop transports that were to come behind them.

"Commander, Major Shannon sends word that the Vipers are ready for launch on your orders," Lieutenant James Ward, the _Libran_'s Communications Officer, announced from his station.

"Excellent; has Commander Mandeville sent word about his faststars?" Tattnall asked. Major Cynthia 'Heater' Shannon had recently taken over as CAG of the _Libran_ and this would be her first real chance to lead the air group into combat.

"The faststars are reporting that they are in position and ready to begin the attack," replied Lieutenant Lancelot Freyburg, the _Libran_'s Tactical Officer.

"Mr. Ward, send word to Major Shannon that the Vipers are cleared to launch and that I want a squadron held back in case of an emergency. Which one stays behind I leave to her discretion," Tattnall said.

"Sir, Commander Mandeville has sent over the revised plan of attack for the faststars," Freyburg said as he delivered a stack of papers detailing the finalized plan of attack that Mandeville had created for his group of faststars.

"Is there anything of interest?" Minerva asked.

"Some minor changes but nothing that really stands out," Tattnall said as he went through the plans.

"I guess there's only one thing left to do," Minerva said.

"Indeed, it's time we got this underway," Tattnall said before ordering that the battle against the Erebea base begin.

**Three Weeks Later: **

**Caprica City, Chatham Hotel, Room 521: **

"This whole thing is a load of crap," Captain John Ashe said as he looked out the window of his hotel room at the traffic moving on the street below. The commanding officer of the Gladiators, the Ministry of Intelligence's task force designated for engaging the Erebea, had traded in his combat fatigues for a custom tailored black suit.

"You won't hear me argue, but it seems Headquarters wants us to play nice with the Colonial Fleet," Lieutenant Shaylyn Rexana said. She too was a part of the Gladiators and had served as the explosives expert for the mission against the Erebea base.

"You did well out there, Shay," Ashe said as he turned his attention to the woman in the blue business dress that looked like she could have been a lawyer instead of a person who knew almost every type of explosive.

"I could have done better," she retorted.

"What happened to Garza, Selim, Lane, and Royal was not your fault," he shot back immediately.

"It feels like it but you don't need to beat yourself up over what happened," MoI Lieutenant Victoria Bryant said as she walked into the room, "I'm just hoping that the board of inquiry will feel the same way."

"Lieutenant Bryant, I'm glad you were able to join us," Ashe said.

Bryant walked over to where the two were standing, "Sergeant Wren and I were told that we would be needed here today instead of next week."

"Why would they do that?" Rexana asked.

"Because our employers want to get our questioning out of the way as quickly as possible," Sergeant Solomon Wren said as he and a familiar raven-haired woman came into the room.

"I can't argue with their decision, the sooner this is over with the sooner we can get on to more pressing matters," Darya Ravenscroft said.

"They got the rest of the surviving Gladiators questioned yesterday, so now it's our turn," Ashe said. The previous day Michael Lott, Clarissa Shaw, Sonya Rollins, and Rachel Haley had testified to what had taken place on the base during the boarding.

"I doubt any of you have to worry too much, I've been in contact with Gray and this all seems to be a formality," the distinctively rich Caprican accent of Major Evan Windsor announced.

"Major Windsor," Ashe said with a hint of surprise to his voice, "I wasn't expecting you to pay us a visit."

"Major Wallace is having his Q & A session at Headquarters today so it fell on me to oversee things here on Caprica," Windsor said as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

Rexana spoke up. "If this is a mere formality, then why are we even going through with it?"

"Because the Colonial Fleet was very insistent on doing so, and if we're going to continue this operation we need to play nice," Windsor said.

"Do you think we're going to be raked over the coals?" Wren asked.

"I'm sure the admirals and the directors are going to talk tough and give us the impression that we are the mother of all frak-ups, but it will blow over as it has always done. We all have the after-action reports and they have been read thoroughly," Windsor said.

"They aren't too upset about the losses we suffered?" Ashe asked.

"Headquarters knew that there would be losses. Granted, they would have preferred to have lost fewer people than we did but the Gladiators performed admirably. Director Shea also put in a commendation for Lieutenant Rexana for her quick thinking when the scuttling charges were ready to detonate," Windsor said.

Rexana spoke up. "I was still unable to save all of my team members."

"It's part of the job, a risk we all take and they knew that going in. If you want to blame somebody for that then blame the Erebea; they're our enemy in this fight and they jury rigged those explosives to go off like they did," Windsor said in what he thought would allay Rexana's guilt.

"When are we leaving for the inquiry?" Ravenscroft asked.

"A vehicle will arrive in approximately two and a half to three hours to take us to Second Fleet Headquarters. The plan is to interview a group of Colonial Fleet officers before they interview us, sort of the reverse of how the questioning went yesterday. Just keep making yourselves at home and when the time comes you can answer whatever questions are asked of you and get this whole messed up affair over with," Windsor said.

"Major, what's your opinion of the operation?" Ashe asked.

"I think you and the Gladiators did a damn fine job against circumstances you had no control over. I also hate losing people, and if the rumors are true and someone fed information to the Erebea than that person had better hope I never find out his or her identity," Windsor said before turning to leave the room.

As he left the room and headed down the hallway towards the elevator Windsor's mind was busy running down a mental list of names he suspected could have been responsible for what had taken place. As he pressed the button to summon the elevator he realized that there was only one logical explanation for what had happened…Arthur Wallace had betrayed the Ministry of Intelligence. The two had an intense personal and professional rivalry that had not cooled with time and at times seemed to border on an intense dislike that could easily be described as hatred. Even if there was a chance it was clouding his judgment the evidence in his mind was conclusive that Wallace was not to be trusted and was probably a traitor that had to be dealt with.

**Caprica City, Caprica, Second Fleet Headquarters: **

**Snowden Building, Main Entrance: **

"That's who this building was named after?" Commander Nicholas Tattnall asked as he gazed up at the large oil painting of a man in the dress uniform of a Caprican Navy admiral.

"Admiral Maurice Snowden, the man who turned back the Virgonian Fleet during one of the last attempts to invade Caprica. This used to be the headquarters for the Caprican Navy, now the Colonial Fleet uses it," Commander Geoffrey Mandeville said.

"Now we're here to answer the Admiralty's questions about our battle at the Erebea base," Colonel Susan Minerva said.

"I can't say I blame them for wanting to know all the facts, but it feels like a waste of time with the Erebea still out there," Tattnall said.

"Any word from our Ministry of Intelligence friends?" Tattnall asked.

"I think they are going to wrap up their hearings by the end of today or later on in the week. From what I heard is that Gray was not happy to have their people called into a Board of Inquiry," Mandeville said.

"Well Gray can take its concerns and get over it," Minerva said. Gray was the city on Picon where the Ministry of Intelligence was headquartered. Sometimes it was possible to use the city's name in place of the Ministry and have it understood.

"I just hope we're going on for an honest question and answer session," Mandeville said.

Tattnall nodded. "Me too, the last thing our careers need is to be blamed for what went wrong with the mission."

"We accomplished our goal but, sadly there were losses," Minerva said.

Mandeville pressed the button to summon the elevator. "That was to be expected. I don't think we were prepared for the Erebea to fight as hard as they did."

"I don't think we realized just how well armed that station was," Tattnall said.

"Not until it was too late," Minerva said as the arrows pointing 'Up' blinked on the elevator doors opened for the three to make their ascent to the Fifteenth Floor.

"The Erebea played their cards well in that game of Triad," Mandeville said.

"They were sneaky bastards, I don't know if the planners realized that they would go to the extremes that they went to," Tattnall said.

"I would love to find out how the Erebea got their hands on Excalibur defense guns. Those things did some serious damage to the faststars and even gave the _Libran_ its fair share of bruises," Minerva said.

"That is something I have to wonder about," Tattnall said. The Excalibur guns were heavy guns designed to damage most types of ships. They were used on Colonial Fleet installations during the Cylon War but it was believed that all had been decommissioned and scrapped as a result of the latest rounds of defense cuts that had been approved by the Adar Administration.

"If Colonial Military Intelligence can't answer that question then perhaps the Ministry of Intelligence can do something useful and find out for us," Mandeville said.

**Snowden Building, Fifteenth Floor, Main Conference Room: **

"Commanders Tattnall and Mandeville are here along with Colonel Minerva," one of the aides announced to the three flag officers who had assembled to carry out the court of inquiry.

"They're early," Vice Admiral William Standley said with an amused smile on his face.

"If they had been on time they'd have been considered late," Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd said.

"I'm curious as to what they have to say," Rear Admiral George Darby said.

"They're the first ones we have today," Standley said before adding, "We still have the _Libran_'s CAG and squadron commanders to question. Then there's the Marine and Ministry of Intelligence force that actually boarded the station."

"Did Admiral Wilson give any recommendations for how we should proceed?" Darby asked.

Standley shook his head. "He said he wants to make sure that we find out everything that we can. The losses we suffered were not acceptable in his eyes."

"If this is so important to him, then why isn't he here for this?" Kidd asked.

"He has a meeting with President Adar, and there was no way he could reschedule," Standley said.

A door on the side of the room opened and in walked the three directors from the Ministry of Intelligence that would be taking part in the inquiry. Hiram Waters, Michael Herron, and Marvin Schuler entered the room and it was clear by the stern look on their faces that the tone for this conference would not be pleasant on their end.

"Directors, we're glad you were able to make it for today's hearings," Standley said.

"Perhaps today's hearings will go better than yesterday," Waters said as he took the seat at the conference table that he had occupied yesterday.

"I personally thought yesterday went quite well," Kidd said.

"That's because yesterday involved our people in the operation and your insistence that we are somewhat to blame for what happened," Schuler said hotly.

"That's because there's a good case to be made that someone in your organization fed the Erebea classified documents involving the _Libran_ and its faststar escorts," Darby said.

"If that's the game we're going to play then how come your people did not know that some of the Excalibur defense guns managed to elude the scrap yard?" Herron asked.

"Since you and your organization seem to know everything that every citizen in the Colonies is doing you should have no problem at all finding that out. Because believe me we would love to know!" Darby said heatedly.

"Is there really a reason for you being so angry?" Waters asked.

"One battlestar is going to be in the dockyard for three weeks for repairs and that has required us to change our maintenance schedule for our battlestars," Kidd said.

"So you're only upset because we are inconveniencing some yard workers?" Schuler asked incredulously.

"No, but there's more," Darby said as he pulled out a list of ship names for the three directors to look at, "We had twelve faststars that took part in the attack. Out of those there was severe damage done to the _Robert Smith, Asturias, Velos, Chatham, Warrington, Gerhardt, Aspis, Asturias_, and _Psara_ were all seriously damaged in the attack and there are debates going on as to whether they are worth the effort needed to repair them and return them to service."

"That sounds like a problem for you and not something we should be concerned with," Herron said.

"That would be true but the problem is that your people discovered detailed deck plans for the Clemson class faststars as well as reports dating back to the Cylon War that showed a major structural weak spot on the ships that if hit in the right spot could seriously disable the ship," Standley said.

"So that is your proof that someone has been aiding the Erebea?" Waters asked.

"I think we need to leave our options open on this issue," Kidd said before adding, "The _Libran_ and its mission is not exactly known to many people so it would make sense for someone in the Ministry of Intelligence to smuggle the plans to the Erebea," Kidd said.

"That should be the end of your list of complaints," Schuler said.

"There is one last thing that should be pointed out," Kidd said.

"There always is," Waters said.

"Commander Tattnall was incapacitated during the battle and Colonel Minerva had to assume command of the battlestar; she decided to call for assistance and nearby Colonial Fleet units answered her call. If one of your people passed on sensitive Fleet information to the Erebea then he or she managed to expose this joint operation of ours," Darby said.

"You may have a point," Herron reluctantly admitted.

"President Adar has assured me that he will do everything within his power to make sure the Libran and its mission will not be in danger of being called off," Standley said.

"It's been two years now since those bastards kidnapped his sister and niece. I can't blame the man for holding a grudge," Waters said. It was two years ago when the Erebea joined forces with the Sagittaron Liberation Army to kidnap Rachael and Renee Adar in order to force the independence of Tauron and Sagittaron.

"From what I've heard he won't be happy until the Erebea is wiped out and all of its members either dead or imprisoned," Kidd said. He thought of his eldest son, Ensign Walter Kidd, a Viper pilot on the _Illustrious_, and wondered if he would have to help in this vendetta the President was using the Colonial Fleet to carry out.

Standley finally said, "Let's worry about who may be feeding information to the Erebea after the inquiry is over. We don't want to keep our guests waiting."

An aide was sent to escort Tattnall, Mandeville, and Minerva into the room. The six members making up the board of inquiry each tried to mentally prepare for the upcoming round of questioning but in their minds they wondered who it could have been that gave the Erebea such valuable information, and just how much damage had this person caused…


End file.
